MON - Squad Bravo
by Blaize83
Summary: Yuuto Kazama, a twenty-three year old man, has been given the opportunity of a life time. To work with the members of the esteemed 'MON' task force, in order to stop human criminals who have now started cooperating with liminals in order to evade the law. Will he be able to face this task, and if so, could he eventually lead a squad of his own?
1. Just another day

A/N: Hi everyone,

I hope you enjoy the first chapter, this is my first time doing anything like this, so hopefully I've made it interesting enough. Feel free to leave any feedback about the story, any advice is very much appreciated. Hope to do more chapters in the future, though I can't guarantee regular uploads. Hopefully with enough support, the next chapter should be out relatively soon. Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou (Everyday life with Monster Girls) or any related content. All rights of the franchise goes to it's author, Okayado. Any referenced movies, music, etc, belong to their respective creators. I only take credit for my own Original Characters. Please support the official release.

Edited 27/6/17: Correcting spelling and grammar errors. Also, Linimal should be Liminal, only just realised this after 11 chapters, oops.

* * *

'I repeat, we have an emergency at the Metropolitan Bank! We are under fire from two liminal suspects, requesting back-up!'

The two liminals in question, one orc, the other a minotaur, both male, were laughing their heads off from the entrance of the bank as the continued to send machine gun fire into the nearby police car. It seemed that they were only a handful of liminals taking part in the robbery, but how many others there were in the building was unknown to the officers on the scene.

'Yehaaagh! I could unload all day, and these pigs can't do shit about it! I fucking love this job!' yelled the orc, who was enjoying the current situation a lot more than he should be.

'Hah, rich coming from you, pork cutlets.' The minotaur said sarcastically. 'Try and keep that fat face of yours on a swivel, who knows what these humans have waiting for us.'

''Who the fuck are you calling pork cutlets?! You're practically a walking beef jerky stand!'' the orc exclaimed, obviously pissed off by his partner's comment.

'Cram it, the both of you! And stop waiting ammunition! The police are unable to do a thing to us with the law as it is now!'

Both liminals turned to see an irate lizardman, wearing a black hoodie, denim jeans, and a red bandana to mask his face, only his hands and long, slender tail, covered in dark green scales being his only visible reptilian features. He seemed annoyed at the fact that the two muscle-brains in front of him were acting as if this heist was just some sort of game.

''We have enough to deal with right now with the hostages, and the boss is busy enough trying to gain access to the safe without you two screaming like deranged lunatics over there. So, if you don't mind, try not to kill anyone until we've secured a means of escape, and maybe we can get out of here with a small fortune in our pockets. Minos, Burter, keep an eye on the sides of the building. We don't want anyone trying to sneak up on us.''

''Don't worry Drek, no man or woman within a kilometre is gonna get close without me sniffin' 'em out.'' Burter chuckled as he prodded his snout with the tip of his finger. 'They got no chance in hell of getting in. Besides, look at all the muscle we got behind us!'

Pointing to the centre of the room they were in, there were at least two trolls, a centaur, and a cyclops, surrounding a group of terrified hostages, mostly human, except for a young, raven haired Dragonewt girl, who was probably in her late teens, covered with onyx coloured scales, all wishing that they could be freed from their current situation without being harmed.

'That may be true, but that's no excuse for any stupidity, especially now of all times.' Drek hissed as he combed his scaled fingers through his messy, crimson hair, coming down to his shoulders, trying to contain his anger towards the tan skinned orc in front of him.

'Well as long as we got this building contained, there should be nuffin to worry about.' Minos stated, as he eyed up several police cars and van parking up in front of the bank, forming a barricade to prevent their escape.

'I just hope the boss has a good plan to get us out of here with the stash…' The lizardman sighed to himself.

* * *

Outside, behind the barricade, officers scrambled to assess the situation inside the bank, not knowing how many suspects they were, and what species they were dealing with, other than the orc and minotaur that were causing havoc only moments ago. At the ambulance near the back of the barricade, a young officer with jet black hair, was having his right shoulder treated for a flesh wound, while being debriefed by his superior.

'Are you sure, Yamamoto?' the older officer asked, staring back in bewilderment at the young man in front of him.

''I'm certain, Sir. I saw a large truck drop off a group of liminals not far from here, and saw them head in this direction. By the time I got here, they started opening fire.'' The young officer winced as disinfectant was applied the wound he received earlier. All he could think about was the panic he was in, pinned down in his own vehicle, pleading for help down the radio as he was fired upon by the liminals inside the bank, ashamed that he was so helpless to do anything.

'Damn bastards.' the sergeant exclaimed to himself, clutching at his chin. ''You'd think those politicians would've dealt with that damned loophole in the Interspecies Exchange Bill by now. Where the hell is MON when you need them?''

'You called?'

Startled, the sergeant spun on his heel to see woman with long, raven hair, wearing a black suit, and a pair of sunglasses covering her eyes, smirking at the reaction of the officer inside the ambulance.

''Smith, took your damn time, didn't you?'' The older officer scoffed at her. ''Where's that squad of yours? They specialize in this sort of situation, being monsters and all.''

''First off, Sergeant Ogawa, the technical term is 'liminal', for your information.'' Ms Smith scowled as she removed her sunglasses, revealing dark brown eyes, filled with disdain towards the officer for his bigoted remark about her co-workers. ''Secondly, they're already in position. We were tipped off about this heist a few days ago. Seemed like someone affiliated with them couldn't go through with it, and got out of there before their superior could do anything about it. Finally, it would be incorrect to presume that every member of MON is a 'liminal'. I'm technically in charge of the team, and nowadays, I'm not the only human in MON. Need a diverse set of skills, what with these sorts of situations where humans and liminals are working together to pull off crimes they could never dream of doing before.'' Smith stopped as she took a sip of coffee from a cup she had with her on the way top the scene of the incident.

'But how do you…' Ogawa was cut off as Ms Smith let out a loud sigh of satisfaction from her beverage.

''Don't worry, we have the situation under control.'' She stepped away from the ambulance, putting her sunglasses back on as she strolled towards her car, with a grin on her face and waving at the sergeant as she left. 'Besides, nothing you can do but enjoy the show.' She swore she could her Sergeant Ogawa curse at her as she reached for the radio she had on hand.

'This is Smith to MON, is everyone in position?' She waited for a response until the voice of a young woman came through.

''Z here, I'm right above these idiots. They have no idea that I'm here.''

'What about the orc?'

''No sweat, seems like the cow next to him doesn't like to shower all that much, can smell the BO all the way from here.'' She complained, sounding as if she was clutching at her nose.

''This is M. I'm in position and have a clear shot at the entrance and windows at the front of the building.'' A meek voice followed. 'Though, the wind up here is making it hard to keep my eye open for long.'

''Quit complaining, at least you've not got the constant smell of shit deal with…''

'This is T reporting,' a chipper voice came through. ''I'm in position and ready to breach and rescue on your order.''

''Is it me, or am I gettin' the weirdest sense of déjà vu?'' Z muttered over the radio.

'Reminds me of the time we saved Snookums and the hostages from that gang of orcs a few months back.

'Geez will you two cram it, even these dumbasses will hear us if you keep this up.' the voice of a young girl came though.

'D, status.' Smith said, starting to get irate with the comedy act she was putting up with.

''Oh, sorry boss. Infiltration successful. The new guy's actually coming in useful.''

'Well one of us had to plan this op in advance.' The voice of a young man in his twenties retorted. ''…I mean, Y reporting. Ready to cut the power on your order Ma'am.''

''So sweet and polite too, why can't you be more like that Bina-chan?'' The chipper girl replied.

'The hell Tio?! Not everyone is like sunshine and lollipops like you ya know!'

'If we can all focus please…' Smith trailed off, starting to get a migraine from all this bickering, but she couldn't deny the fact that the people she was working with were all professionals at what they did.

The captain, Zombina, a Zombie surprisingly enough, was skilled with tactics and command, respected by her peers, and loved the sight of violence and gore, not caring if she gets cut up herself.

Manako, a Monoeye, was the best damn sniper they had the pleasure to meet, being able to land shots from 2 kilometres away, without the need of a scope, though her shy and meek nature did make her difficult to deal with at time.

Tionisha, the sweetest Ogre you'd ever meet. She could bench press a bus if she wanted, but could never hurt a fly, though her embraces have been known to really suffocate people, not that she ever meant to. This made her especially well-suited at Siege operations.

Doppel, the teams resident Doppelganger, was an expert at infiltration. It was partly due to her powers and skills that they could get the intel they needed, so they could plan ahead of the heist that they were about to put a stop to, though she has a bad habit of playing pranks on people, much to her own amusement.

Finally, there was the new guy. A rookie when it comes to operations like this, but he was a pretty skilled hacker, and he wasn't bad with a pistol or fighting in close quarters, though being human, he was mainly there to deal with other humans they might come across that the girls couldn't deal with due to the Interspecies Exchange Bill, which in its current state, forbid liminals and humans from harming each other, in any way, shape or form. Today would be his chance to prove to Smith that he was worth hiring, despite the tower of paperwork she had to go through to have him join MON.

'Does everyone know the plan?' Smith asked over the radio.

'Affirmative.' The young man said confidently.

'Roger' Doppel replied.

'All good to go!' Tio saluted, despite no one being able to see her.

'Eye of the target.' Manako affirmed.

''Let's get this show on the road already!'' Zombina exclaimed, wanting to get on with it.

Smith smiled to herself. 'Alright team, Operation Touchlight is a go!'


	2. Once more into the fray

A/N: Hi all, this is going to be a lengthy chapter compared to the last, but I hope the extra detail is going to be worth he read. Hope you all enjoy.

Edited 27/6/17: Correcting spelling and grammar errors. Also, Linimal should be Liminal, only just realised this after 11 chapters, oops.

* * *

''Mommy, I'm scared…'' A young, 7-year old girl teared up, obviously worried about what the bad men holding then captive might do to them.

''It's okay Yui, everything is going to be okay.'' Her mother doing her best to comfort her, despite the situation the found themselves in. Today was just meant to be a quick trip to the bank, but unfortunately, things had turned out the way they had, and all the woman could do was try and stay calm for the sake of her daughter, and homestay that accompanied them.

''Why would they do something like this? Don't they know that they're jeopardizing relations between liminals and humans by doing this?'' The Dragonewt girl exclaimed.

''Don't worry Sulphira, I'm sure most aren't like this.'' Yui's mother was doing her best to keep her homestay calm.

'That may be true, but we're the representatives of our species. How are people going to trust us if all they see are liminals that would take advantage of them?' Sulphira was not about to let this go. She was a proud member of the Dragonewt race, so to be held captive like this against her will infuriated her to no end, but she realized that getting angry right now would make the situation worse, especially for her host family. They practically treated her like one of their own. Yui treated her like the big sister she never had, though Sulphira was not prepared for a human so young to be so forward with her. Eventually the young girl's innocence and curiosity grew on the Dragonewt, and she was not about to lose that bond to a bunch of petty thugs.

'Quiet down!' The centaur shouted at the top of his lungs, pointing his rifle at the young dragonewt. ''If you don't want to be filled with lead, then I'd suggest you keep that scaly trap of yours shut!''

All Sulphira did was stare straight into the eyes of the centaur, refusing to be terrorized by such a low life, refusing to look away out of fear, to deny her captor the satisfaction that he sought.

'Or maybe I should make an example out of you.'

Before he could so much as think about pulling the trigger, he heard a struggle from the other side of the building, where the safes were located. Suddenly, the door to the front room was swung open to reveal a man, possibly in his late forties, restraining a school girl with short, raven hair, struggling to escape his grasp.

'I said let me go!' The girl screamed in protest.

''Not before you tell me why you were hiding back there, and you'd better have a damned good reason.'' The man restraining her appeared to be the only human amongst the criminals. He had a shaved head, dark brown eyes, wearing a black suit, and sporting a large scar across his right cheek. As it turned out, he was a member of the Yakuza, though it appeared that he was acting alone to pull off this heist. He pointed the pistol he was holding to the girl's head to coax an answer out of her.

'I hid in the office at the back to avoid getting caught, what did you expect me to do?!'

''Well I suggest you join the others here if you don't wish to die today.'' He threw the girl towards one of the trolls standing guard over the hostages, not caring about the girl's well-being. 'You, keep your eyes on this one, she might be trouble.'

'Sure thing, Boss.' The troll replied, while wrapping his free arm around her to prevent her escape.

''Hey, doesn't she look like that Teen Witch Mako-Chan you like so much, Drek?'' The cyclops asked the lizardman near the entrance of the building.

''Th-the fuck are you talking about?! I don't read that shit!'' Drek protested, trying to hide his embarrassment with his hood.

'Enough!'

The man in charge of the heist was about to lose his patience. Since the start, it had been nothing but problems. First, Burter and Minos causing havoc outside, then the code for the safe he got from the staff didn't work, now he had a cosplayer that seemed to appear out of thin air screaming her head off. The last thing he wanted was to hear his men bicker like children over a manga character. He walked over to one of the hostages, a man in his fifties, dressed in the bank's uniform, and put a gun to his head. He then raised a hand, holding a scrap of paper with the safe's code written on it.

'You told me this was the code to the safe! Are you trying to make a fool out of me?!'

''What?! That's impossible!'' The bank manager panicked. ''I'm the only one that knows the code, and even I can't change it without authorization!''

''Then if it wasn't you, who did?!'' The boss pulled the hammer back on his pistol.

''I don't know! Please don't shoot!''

Suddenly, the lights in the room went out without warning. It was hard to see anything that wasn't near the windows at the front of the building.

'You two,' He pointed at the centaur and cyclops. 'cover the front of the building. No one should be able to get in from the back.' He was aware that the back entrance of the building was secured by an electronic lock, and no one, besides the staff, could gain access, even with a power out. The two thugs moved to the windows where Burter and Minos were stationed, and checked outside to see what the police were up to.

'No change Boss.'

At that moment, the rifle the minotaur was holding exploded into shrapnel, sending him flying backwards, his arms and chest in agony.

'The fuck was that?!' Burter shouted in panic.

Before long, the same thing happened to him, as well as the centaur and cyclops, all dropping to the floor.

'The hell are you idiots doing?! Get the hell up!' Drek moved up to window, taking cover behind the wall to avoid the same thing happening to him. 'They have a fucking sniper! Where the hell are they?!'

* * *

About 1.5 kilometres away, on top of an apartment complex, a woman wearing a black and yellow body suit, was staring down the barrel of her sniper rifle, scanning for targets. The intriguing thing was that there was no scope on her rifle, so hitting a target from that distance, even with one, would be considered a miracle. Though the sniper in question was no ordinary woman, considering that she had a massive purple eye instead of two.

'Four hits confirmed. Targets retreating from the entrance.'

'Nice one Manachi!' The squad captain responded. ''We'll take it from here!''

Manako stood up from her position, brushing her hair from her face, her eye tearing up. The wind made it hard for her to see for long.

'Where did I put my eye drops?' She complained to herself, patting herself over trying to find them. It was bad enough that she had to hoof it all the way to where the incident was taking place, not to mention the trip down from the top of the 30-story building she was dropped off at. She had no choice but to leave it to the others now.

* * *

'Damn it! The fuck is going on?!' Drek was getting pissed at the rapidly deteriorating situation they were in now. It was just one problem after the other, but at least they still had hostages.

'What else can go wrong?' The human Ringleader muttered to himself, getting visibly irate.

As if on cue, the grating from the air duct came crashing down, landing on top of one of the troll's head, causing him to stumble backwards. From the gap in the vent, a red-headed woman came flying out, drawing a pair of sub-machine guns, aiming at the unarmed liminals near the entrance of the building.

'Yippee Ki Yay, Motherfuckers!'

A hail of bullets came spurting out of the SMG's, causing chaos near the building's entrance. The lizardman dodged to the side, as the other four liminals were caught in the crossfire. Luckily for them, they were only rubber bullets, though it was enough to incapacitate the targets. The gunfire stopped, as the woman landed on one knee. She stood up, her back facing the hostages, as she turned her head to the side, revealing a patchwork of skin and stitches, sporting a grin full of fanged teeth, and a pair of yellow and green eyes, eying up the ringleader.

''You have no idea how long I've wanted to say that.''

'What are you waiting for?! Kill her!' The scarred human raises his gun to open fire on the intruder.

Suddenly, the wall behind him and the trolls exploded, sending the ringleader flying. From the breach, a large figure comes striding through, wearing full body armour, and carrying two large custom riot shields. Before the trolls could react, the armoured giant came charging in, slamming the butt of one of her shields into his face, knocking him unconscious. The other troll, still clutching to the schoolgirl, opened fire on her, but the ogress raises her other shield in time to block the bullet storm. Suddenly, the troll received a large impact to his jaw. Looking down, he saw a large fist manifesting from locks of silver hair, though to his surprise, it was coming from the girl he held captive. She opened her eyes, revealing two, golden eyes with black sclera, staring back at him. The girl's left arm suddenly manifested into a hulking mass of flesh, and she drove it into his gut at full force. Loosening his grip, the troll stumbled back and fell to the ground.

'I always seem to get the worst jobs.' The girl complained to no one in particular, as the hostages watched on in awe. Without warning, her form unravelled into a mass of long silver hair, slowly revealing a small, dark-skinned girl, her naked form covered only by her hair which seemed to have a life of their own. The armoured figure moved up to the group of hostages and took off her helmet. To their surprise, what they thought was an ornament, was in fact a horn that was attached to the woman's forehead, as it revealed the face of an attractive, tanned, blonde haired ogre, with a sweet smile on her face.

''It's okay everyone, you're all safe now, just head out the hole through the side of the building.''

With that, the group started shuffling out with the two girls helping with the escort.

'I love it when a plan co- 'Zombina is cut off as she is struck by bullet fire from behind, the bullet storm firing from and irate lizardman.

'Hah, serves you right, bitch!' Drek screamed as he continued to riddle the woman full of lead until he ran out of ammo. Tio was quick enough to raise her shield to protect Doppel and the hostages from the incoming fire.

'Bina-chan!' The ogress screamed in distress.

Just as her body was about to collapse, she forced her left leg forward, stopping herself from hitting the floor. The lizard man was in shock as she turned around to face him, her chest bloodied and full of holes, and a massive grin on her face.

''You're going to have to do better than that.'' Giving him a playful wink.

'AAAAAARRRRRRRHHHHHHHH!'

He dropped his rifle, charging head long towards the zombie, intent on ending her un-life. Zombina raised her arms to take aim at her foe, but the lizardman skilfully dodged the fire, and as he closed the distance, he plunged his claw into her right shoulder, and proceeded to rip her arm off. With a grin, she swept her leg under her attacker, and tripped him up. Just as he was about land on his back, the zombie raised her intact arm and brought her elbow down to his face at full force.

It was at this moment that Drek knew, he fucked up.

The back of his head collided with the ground beneath him, causing the tiles to shatter, leaving a small crater where his head landed.

'That should keep him quiet for a while.' Zombina complimented herself, satisfied with the results of her brawl. She quickly checked herself over to assess the damage caused to her. ''Damn, it's gonna take forever to fix this mess up.'' Pouting as she complained.

'Bina-chan!'

Zombina suddenly found herself caught in the tight embrace of the towering ogress, though with her body armour on, even the zombie found it less then comfortable.

'You alright there?' Doppel asked with concern on her face.

''Yeah I'll manage. Geez where the hell did my other arm go?''

'AAAAHHHH- '

The three of them heard a scream behind them that was suddenly muffled, turning to find the dragonewt girl being held captive by the ringleader, who currently had his gun pressed against her temple. Zombina broke from Tio's embrace and raised her SMG at the man.

'Freeze, Asshole.'

''Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you.'' The man had a deranged look on his face has he slowly stepped back from the three liminals in front of him. 'I'm sure you're aware what'll happen if you harm me, right? You monsters are powerless now.'

'The only monster I see right now is you.' Doppel retorted.

''Please don't hurt her, she hasn't done anything wrong!'' Tio was pleading with the man not to make any rash decisions.

''Oh, but she'll be coming with me. This heist may have been a bust, but I think I can make a pretty penny out of a ransom, don't you think? And I should thank you for dealing with these dolts for me, to think that they'd expect me to share the profits with them.''

Disgusted by the man's lack of concern for anything, even for his own men, they failed to notice the grenade that was strapped to his belt. Without warning, he threw Sulphira through the door behind him, reaching for the grenade with his now free hand, and opened fire on the MON agents. Tio managed to raise her shields in time to block the shots. The gun fire stopped, only to be followed by a loud 'thud' against the shields. Before they could process what happened, they were sent flying backwards from a small explosion, though thankfully Tio's shields absorbed most of the blast. By the time they got up though, the doorway in front of them had collapsed, and there was no easy way of getting through.

''Yuuto, we've got a situation! Human suspect with a young dragonewt hostage is attempting to escape!'' Zombina yelled down the radio.

''Don't worry, I've got the situation covered, trust me.'' The voice of the young man came through.

'You better.' The captain replied. ''We're kind of blocked off down here. I'm counting on you.''

* * *

The man was making his way up to the roof, with the hostage in tow. He had made plans to escape by helicopter to avoid any further shoot-outs on the way out.

'Where are you taking me?!' Sulphira exclaimed.

''We're going for a little flight.'' He explained to the girl. ''Don't you dragons like to fly? Because I sure do.'' Determination filled his lungs, with everything else that had gone wrong today, he was sure that his escape plan was fool-proof, it had to be. The noise of a helicopter landing on the roof of the bank could be heard from the stairwell. As they made their way to the door of the roof though, the ringleader noticed that the engine of the helicopter began to die down.

'Oh, what the fuck are those idiots doing?!'

He kicked the door down as the stepped onto the roof top. The helicopter was there, engines fully died down, with a human pilot at the front, and a man with an AK47 in the main compartment, though the two men in question were unconscious upon his arrival. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the men had tranquilizer darts embedded in their skin, responsible for their current state. The scarred man panicked, pointing his gun in every direction, trying to find the person responsible.

'Alright, come the fuck out! No more games!' He was starting to get furious.

While distracted by his own panic, he suddenly felt a fist collide with his right cheek, sending him tumbling to the ground, losing his grip on his weapon, and the dragonewt. After hitting the ground, Sulphira got up onto her knees, looking up to see her saviour. There stood a young man, a human, with short, spiky blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing the same black and yellow body suit the zombie woman downstairs was. He was looking right at her, with a barely visible grin at the corner of his lips.

'You alright there, Miss?'

She only nodded her head in response, too dumbstruck to utter a word after what happened. It wasn't long until the ringleader stood back up, with blood dripping from his lip, staring daggers at the MON agent. At this, Sulphira got up and ran to hide behind the agent for protection.

''Oh, sorry about that, didn't realise that was your ride. You could always ask the police for a ride if you want.'' The young man's sarcastic remark really got at the ringleader. He was already having a bad day, and now he was being made a fool of by someone who probably wasn't even half his age. Though despite his anger, he cracked a wicked grin as he pulled a knife that he had hidden in his jacket.

''You know, Kid, I've been having a really bad day, what with those monster girls and all, but the fact that you've probably been waiting up here this whole time, just so you could kick me while I'm down on my luck, I must admit, has really fucking ticked me off. So, if you don't mind just dying for me right now, at least I can get some sort of satisfaction out of that.''

Sulphira flinched as the ringleader slowly stepped towards her and the blonde man she was hiding behind, but Yuuto calmly turned his head to face her, despite the immediate danger.

''Miss, go hide behind the copter over there. I'll take care of this psychopath.'' He grinned as he raised a thump to help reassure her.

''But what about you?! You're unarmed!''

''I'd be more worried about him right now. I've been trained to deal with situations like this, and in his current state of mind, he'll be a piece of cake. Now go on, I'll be fine.''

Without another word, she did as she was instructed, and made her way to safety, keeping an eye on the man that helped her only moments ago. The ringleader made a lunge at the agent, thrusting his dagger forward towards his chest, but Yuuto easily stepped to the side to avoid the attack, and responded in kind with a quick right-hook to his face. Regaining his stance, the ringleader stepped forward and stared slashing at his opponent. Yuuto continued to evade his attacks with ease, though he was unable to find an opening to disarm his foe.

'Just die already!'

Under the constant barrage of attacks, he didn't watch where he was stepping, and his foot slipped on a small pool of blood, presumably belonging to the ringleader.

'Hah! Gotcha now!'

In a split second, Yuuto managed to regain his footing, and managed to push himself away from the attacker, but not far enough to avoid the slash fully. The tip of the blade succeeded to make a light cut to his right cheek just under his eye. Yuuto brought up his hand to cover the wound, annoyed that he let his guard down.

''Not so confident now, are you?! I've been in the Yakusa for years, and not once have I lost in a knife fight! So, what chance do you think you have when your fucking unarmed?!''

Yuuto looked back at the scarred criminal, who had clearly lost all sense of control by now. He had to be stopped. The young man took up a defensive stance, and merely grinned at his foe, gesturing him to come at him. In that instance, the Yakuza charged forwards at him, intent on making the killing blow, but Yuuto was ready for him this time, he had his opening.

As the dagger lunged forward at him, he stepped to the side and grabbed the ringleader by the wrist with his left hand, and with his right, he thrust the palm of his hand at the joint of the attacker's arm. The Yakusa lost his grip on his dagger upon the force of the impact, but before the knife could hit the floor, Yuuto force his back into the ringleader, and gripped both hands onto his opponent's arm. He put all his strength into his next attack, pulling his arm forwards, and forcing his opponent over his shoulder. The Yakuza's back slammed onto the rooftop at full force causing the man to gasp in pain, he was unable to move.

Yuuto released his grip on the ringleader, but he wasn't satisfied, before the Yakusa could have a chance to get up again, he pulled a pistol from his side, and fired a tranquilizer dart at the man's chest. The man stared at the foreign object lodged in his chest, then stared back at the agent standing above him.

'Who…the fuck…are…you…' He trailed off as the drugs took their effect on him as he slipped into unconsciousness.

'Yuuto Kazama, Monster Operations: Neutralization.' He muttered under his breath, satisfied with his victory.

Without warning, Sulphira tackled him from behind, holding him in an embrace, but Yuuto was able to keep his balance. He suddenly noticed that she was pressing her particularly perky breasts against him, which cause his cheeks to go bright red, as the girl sobbed, her cheek press against the back of his neck.

'Thank you,' as she continued to weep. ''I don't know what they would've done to me if you weren't here.''

Yuuto placed a hand on her arm she had wrapped around his chest to reassure the young dragonewt. ''Hey, it's ok, you're safe now.''

Sulphira squeezed harder at that statement, smiling to herself. 'But really, thank you. You were amazing back there. I never knew that humans were capable of fighting like that.'

''Well, can't say I'm a total badass like my squad mates, but I guess this is pretty good too.''

The two chuckled at the statement, enjoying the now tranquil atmosphere they had, only to have it ruined when a certain, red headed zombie, came barrelling through the door, causing the pair to jump back from each other in shock at the new arrival, who had obviously seen better days, if the missing arm and bullet holes had anything to do with it.

'Alright, nobody mo-' Zombina stopped herself when she realised the ringleader that was lying unconscious at her feet, she then looked to Yuuto with a puzzled look on her face.

'Targets neutralized.' Yuuto composed himself, noticing the state that the zombie was in. 'You need a hand?'

'Pfft…' She chuckled to herself before unleashing an uproar of laughing, dropping her gun to clutch at her stomach, trying to stop her stitches from splitting presumably. The young man smirked at the sight of his superior in stitches, as the dragonewt girl just stared at the scene in confusion. Once Zombina finally calmed herself down from her laughing fit, she strutted over to the blonde human, a toothy grin plastering her face. She wrapped her intact arm around the back of his neck, and pulled him in close, much to his surprise.

'Nice one, Rookie!' She complimented him. 'Not a bad job for your first operation, but…' She plants a kiss on his cheek where he was cut, causing his face to flush a bright crimson before she pulled her face away from his. ''you could do with some more hand-to-hand training. Don't want some asshole ruining that pretty face of yours.'' She then proceeded to lick her lips where Yuuto's blood left its mark. 'Mmm, not bad.' Giving him a playful wink and a smirk.

'Says the one-armed zombie currently caked in preservatives.' He replied bluntly. ''Also, I hope I don't have to worry about turning any time soon because of your blatant sexual harassment.'' Smirking to himself, not that he really minded getting that sort of attention.

''Geez, quit your whining Yuuto. You'll be fine as long as you're not dying, but if you want…'' She pulled him in closer, purposely pressing her bloodied breasts against him in an attempt to embarrass him.

'Pass!' Yuuto pulled himself away from her embrace, trying to hide his embarrassment from her, as Zombina laughed it up, satisfied with her junior's reaction. ''Anyway, we should probably meet up with Smith and the rest of the team, and maybe retrieve your other arm while we're at it.''

'Heh, good point, the cops and detainment units should be able to handle the rest.' As Zombina walked past him, she playfully slapped his ass, causing him to flinch. ''Anyone tell you how cute you are when you're all flustered?'' She teased him with a wink as she headed down the stairwell to meetup with Tio and Doppel. Yuuto looked back to the dragonewt standing behind him, her face bright red, struggling to comprehend the exchange that just happened between the two MON agents.

'Sorry about that.' He nervously rubbed the back of his neck 'I guess my co-workers can be a bit,' he hesitated for a moment, 'quirky at times.'

Sulphira snapped herself back into reality at the remark. ''Oh, don't worry,'' her face still bright red. 'I guess a team like yours need to be close to work well together like that. Though, you and your girlfriend might want to keep the flirting off the job at least' she stated, trying to cover her embarrassment.

'What?! Girlfriend?! Oh, no!' He waved his hands in protest. ''The two of us aren't like that! She just gets a kick out of teasing me, that's all!''

'Oh, well I guess you guys are pretty close then.' She twirled a strand of her hair in her fingers. 'Must be nice.'

'Yeah, well it can be a pain in the ass at times.' He proceeded to rub where Zombina smacked him earlier. 'Anyway, we should head back ourselves, your host family will be worried about you.'

Before she could reply, Yuuto grabbed her by the hand, causing her to flinch briefly. 'Wait, what are you '

''C'mon, better not keep them waiting.''

At that, the two of them made their way down from the rooftop, finally able to relax, relieved that the ordeal was finally over.


	3. A moment to reflect

Edited 27/6/17: Correcting spelling and grammar errors. Also, Linimal should be Liminal, only just realised this after 11 chapters, oops.

* * *

'Almost done, Zombina.'

Zombina was currently having her right arm reattached. She had taken off the top half of her body suit, revealing her favourite black tank top. She was contemplating on what she and her team had just gone through. The operation could've gone smoother, but it could've been a lot worse than it had been. It had been a resounding success, but she couldn't help but think that their execution could have gone better, like making sure that lizardman was neutralized, instead of trying to look badass, for example. She pouted as she looked down at the state of her torso. ''Damn, that's gonna leave a mark, let alone the weight those bullets will add.'' She thought to herself.

'All done.' Zombina snapped back into reality by the doctor who just finished sewing her arm back on. She was a human, probably in her thirties, with dark brown hair that was tied back into a short pony tail, and had hazel eyes that seemed to glisten like stars, something that Zombina missed about being alive. She was wearing a green blouse with tight denim jeans, with a white lab coat on top. The outfit did a good job at accentuating her curves.

''It'll hold for now, but I'd recommend heading back to the hospital to get it secured properly. You should also top up on your preservatives while you're at it, seeing you lost so much today.'' Zombina was too distracted to hear what she had to say, more pre-occupied by testing that her right arm was moving properly. Satisfied, she held it up and made devil horns with her hand, her face plastered with a massive grin.

'Yeah, sure thing, Doc. Not like I have to worry about dying any time soon.'

''I do worry about you Zombina. I'm well aware that you're already dead, but that isn't an excuse to act so reckless, especially in your line of work.'' She sighed to herself, feeling that her words fell on deaf ears.

''Cheer up, Suzu. I'll get Kuroko to take me down once she's debriefed us, so quit worrying. It's like you're my mom or something.'' The zombie mumbled that last part to herself. She and Suzu have known each other for well over a year now, and it was her what was put in charge of Zombina's care, so she obviously worried about the undead's well-being.

'Well try not to take too long, Rigor Mortis will set in if you don't hurry.' Suzu lectured at her patient.

'Sure thing, Mom.' Zombina joked as she left the ambulance, waving goodbye to her friend. 'Thanks again, as always.' Suzu waved back with a smile on her face. As she got out the vehicle, she glanced to her left, noticing Yuuto leaning back on it with his arms folded, his cheek covered with medical tape from the cut he received from the ringleader earlier, though he had been given stitches by the doctor to make sure it healed properly. He looked back at her, raising a hand in acknowledgement.

''How's the arm?'' He asked with a hint of concern.

''Oh, just fine thanks, though Doc insists I go get it checked over later. Geez she's such a worrywart sometimes.'' Zombina complained as if she were a child after being lectured by her parents.

''Well you don't get the benefit of healing, despite being practically immortal.''

''The price you pay I guess. So how many stitches did you get for that sucker? I'm guessing five, maybe six?''

''Six, she wanted to be sure it wouldn't come loose. Still stings like a bitch though, but that might be from the disinfectant she used, rather than the cut itself.'' He complained as he rubbed his fingers against the medical tape.

''That's Suzu's special brand of tough love, Beesh. There's more where that came from.'' She said in a sultry voice, giving Yuuto a playful wink.

'Beesh?'

'Short for Bishie, duh.'

''But isn't that just short for Bishounen?''

'Well you are quite the pretty boy.' Zombina flirted as she rested her shoulder against his, giving him a perverted smile, showing off her very sharp teeth, not to mention the 'Bedroom' eyes she was making at him.

''So now I'm an abbreviation of an abbreviation. How long did it take you to come up with that masterpiece again?'' He asked in a sarcastic tone, clearly not impressed with his new nickname.

She was too busy laughing her butt off at his remark to reply, though it didn't take too long for her to retort. ''Aww c'mon, it totally suits you.'' She leaned in closer so she could whisper in his ear. ''Plus, I think it's kinda cute, just like you are right now.''

Yuuto had only just realised how red his face was right now, though that was due to how aggressively flirtatious Zombina was being for whatever reason. He couldn't quite figure out whether she was being genuine, or more likely she was just teasing him for a reaction, which seemed like one of her favourite hobbies as of late. It didn't help that she was blatantly pressing her breasts up against him to add to the effect.

'Are you like this with every guy that strikes your fancy?'

'Only the cute ones.' She chuckled, barely able to hold in her laughter.

''C'mon, don't want to keep Smith waiting'' He stepped away from Zombina, having had quite enough teasing for one day, but he did enjoy the time he spent with the lively zombie, despite her tendency to over-step the mark at times.

''Hey, that's my line, Beesh!'' She ran to catch up with Yuuto, clearly not done having fun with her junior squad mate.

''You're not going to drop that, are you?''

''Better get used to it, it's way too fun to watch you squirm.'' She gave him yet another playfully wink as she said that.

'Wonderful…'

All he could do right now was hang his head in defeat at the gibing he received, still with Zombina's gut-wrenching laughter at his side. This was something he quickly got used to when he stared training with MON, though it wasn't all that bad getting the attention of someone so lively and fun loving, despite their current state of being. He definitely had a friend for life in her, or un-life in her case, there was rarely a dull moment with Zombina, or the other girls for that matter. Manako was always so sweet and sincere, though her eye complex did make it hard to get to know her better, but she was slowly opening up to him, albeit in her own, round a bout way. Tio was always so chipper, and she rarely ever let anything get her down, though she could be overly affectionate at times, which has on more than one occasion, caused him to pass out from oxygen starvation. Doppel, on the over hand, was such an enigma to him, there was no way of telling what she was really thinking, but that made him even more curious. The two of them got on well enough, though her pranks did occasionally ware on him. Despite all that though, he was glad to be working with such an interesting group of people, and he wouldn't change it for the world.

'Agent Kazama!'

Yuuto was shaken from his thoughts as someone called to him. He and Zombina stopped as they saw Sulphira run up to them from the crowd that had formed during the incident. She was wearing a loose black t-shirt, as well as denim shorts that were designed with lizardfolk-like species in mind. She stopped just short of them, her face full of concern.

'Hey there, is everything alright?' 'Yuuto asked, still surprised by the dragonewt's sudden appearance.

'Yes, I just wanted to make sure you were alright, you too, Miss…'

''Zombina. Yeah, we're just fine, just another day on the job is all.''

The young dragonewt looked Zombina over, just realising that her formerly missing right arm had been reattached, like it had never come off. ''Wow, that's amazing. I would've thought you'd need major surgery for that.''

At the statement, Zombina held up her right hand, making the 'peace' sign with her fingers, sporting one of her signature grins. ''Perks of being undead I guess, and trust me, I've come out of worse situations just fine, so no need to worry, Kid.''

''Still isn't getting you out of going to the hospital, Zombina.'' Yuuto chimed in at her comment.

Zombina only pouted at the statement and muttered something to herself about being treated like a kid. Sulphira, meanwhile, walked up to Yuuto and looked over the medical tape on his face. 'How about you?' the dragonewt asked, getting his attention. 'You took a pretty bad cut there.' She leaned forward and placed her fingers where his cheek was cut. 'It was might fault that this happened to you.' Sulphira blamed herself for what happened to him, even though there wasn't much she could've done in that situation.

Yuuto's face had gone bright red as the young girl closed the distance between them and touched his face. ''Don't be silly, it was my own fault for not paying attention to my surroundings.'' He tried to reassure Sulphira, which seemed have help alleviate some of the girl's concern.

'Easy tiger, you got an audience watching.' Zombina butted it with a sultry voice and a perverted grin.

The two of them jumped back from each other in a flash, both their faces now a deep crimson from the embarrassment, which was followed shortly by Zombina's laughter.

'Sulphy!'

The worried cry came from a little girl with long, brown curly hair, as well as the cutest brown eyes you could imagine. She was running up to Sulphira as fast as her short legs could take her. ''Mom said you're not supposed to go off by yourself!''

The dragonewt smiled, and crouched to one knee to receive a hug from the little sweetheart. The girl jumped into her arms as Sulphira wrapped her arms around her. 'How many times have I told you not to call me that, Yui?'

'But it really suits you, Sulphy.' Yui squeezed tighter as she smiled from ear to ear. It didn't take her long to notice the two MON agents that were with them, both smiling at the adorable scene in front of them.

Sulphira got back up on her feet with Yui in her arms. 'Yui, this is Yuuto, and the lady with him is Zombina.'

'Thanks for saving us, Miss Zombie! You too Mister!'

'No problem little lady! Just doing what we do best!' Zombina exclaimed as she started playing hero for her.

''Yeah, we're just glad that you and everyone else are all safe now.'' Yuuto chimed in, trying his best not to cut in on Zombina's act. He guessed that she had a soft spot for kids.

Yui just beamed at the two agents as Sulphira out her down and grabbed her hand.

'We should get going now, Yui. Yuuto and Zombina seem to have a lot to do.'

Yui turned to face her. 'But I only just met them…' She was starting to tear up.

Zombina crouched down till she was face to face with the little girl. ''Don't worry, Kiddo. We work for the Interspecies Cultural Exchange, so we'll come to check up on you guys soon. I'll get our boss to send the two of us over.''

'Really?!' Yui beamed at her.

'Of course!' Zombina gave her a massive grin and a thumps-up. 'Heroes never lie!' Zombina was content with keeping up the act. Yuuto couldn't help but imagine the zombie is some ridiculous super hero costume striking an equally ridiculous pose shouting something along the lines of 'Never fear! Zombie Lass is here!'

Yui broke off from Sulphira and gave Zombina a massive hug. 'Oh, that would be great!' The zombie couldn't help but return the gesture.

''It shouldn't be a problem, we want to make sure that Sulphy is alright too.'' Yuuto couldn't help but tease the dragonewt for her cute nickname.

''Don't you start calling that too…'' Sulphira pouted at the human, but Yuuto thought it was kind of adorable.

Zombina finally let go of Yui as Sulphira took her hand again. ''Anyway, we got work to do, but we'll definitely come see you guys again real soon.''

'Sure, hopefully with less guns next time.' Sulphira and Yui headed back to the crowd, waving goodbye as they left. 'Take care.'

'Bye Big Sis! Bye Big Brother! See you soon!' Yui waved her free hand as hard as she could, with a massive smile on her face.

Zombina and Yuuto were waving back as they left, though neither of them were ready for being called Big Sis or Big Brother, if the slight blush on their faces were any indication.

'Admit it, that kid was adorable as hell.' Zombina told Yuuto with a hint of joy in her voice.

'Yeah, not every day you see a kid glomp a zombie she only just met.'

'Well kids love heroes!' Zombina proclaimed as she took on a suitably heroic pose.

'Nice pose, Supergirl.' Yuuto said with a hint of sarcasm. 'Did you always like kids this much?'

''What can I say? They're always a lot of fun to be around. Something tells me Yui's mom must have a hard time keeping up with her.''

Yuuto chuckled to himself. ''No doubt, I bet she's glad to have Sulphira around as a homestay.''

Zombina nodded in agreement. ''Anyway, we'd better get moving, Manako should be back by now, plus we don't want to keep Kuroko waiting.'' She walked off in the general direction where the rest of the team were waiting for them. Yuuto just followed her, savouring the rare occasion of silence between them. As fun as she was, even Zombina needed a break from being excitable.

As they made their way to Smith's black Sedan, they saw Tio and Doppel waiting for them. The former was out of her body armour, and was happily snacking on pocky, while the latter was leaning on the side of the car, twirling a finger through her hair out of sheer boredom. It didn't take Tio long to see her approaching squad mates though, and she quickly pocketed her snacks, and jogged towards them.

'Bina-chan! Yuuto-kun!' She shouted, overjoyed that her friends were alright. Before they could so much as wave a hand at her, she pulled them into a sweet embrace, which had their faces planted into her ample breasts. ''Oh, I'm glad you two are okay, I was so worried!''.

'Tio, you might want to look down.' Doppel cut in, snickering to herself.

At her comment, the ogress looked down to see that their faces were trapped against her large P-cup boobs, unable to breathe. She suddenly let go of the two of them as they gasped for air. ''Oh, I'm sorry! Are you okay?!'' Tio panicked as she waved her arms apologetically.

Zombina was bent over, her chest heaving. She finally regained her composure and stood up straight. ''Yeah, don't worry.'' She raised a thump up at Tio. 'That hug was a lot comfier than earlier at least.'

Yuuto on the other hand, was on the floor, on his hands and knees, still gasping for air. ''It's okay.'' His chest heaved once again. 'Just give me a minute.'

''Easy boy, Tio isn't that kind of girl.'' Doppel teased with her grin widening.

Embarrassed, he jumped to his feet, his face a deep crimson. 'Not funny.' Despite his critique, Zombina's giggling suggested otherwise.

'Oh, thank goodness.' Tio sighed in relief. ''We've been through enough as it is.''

Yuuto looked around, and saw that Ms Smith and Manako were still unaccounted for. 'Any idea where the others are?'

Doppel was the first to speak up. ''Smith is talking to the fuzz still, seems they can't thank her enough for sorting out this mess.''

'Even though we did all the work?' He asked, clearly annoyed.

''Well if it weren't for Kuroko's tireless efforts, none of us would've ever met.'' Tio stated cheerily in her superior's defence.

''Well that's her accounted for, that just leaves Manako. Where is she?''

Zombina lightly nudged him in the shoulder to get his attention, as she pointed towards the direction of the crowd. ''That's her now.''

Upon looking at where she was pointing, Yuuto noticed the reflection of a rifle at the back of the crowd, and noticed it was moving forward. The people parted as a purple haired monoeye stepped passed them. She accidentally bumped someone as she made her way through, then quickly bowed to them as it seemed she was apologizing to them in her very shy manner. She finally broke off as she jogged her way to where the rest of the team was.

Yuuto sighed to himself. ''Sometimes I find it hard to believe that she's such a badass sniper.''

''Well that's what makes Manachi so adorable.'' Zombina interjected with a slight smile on her face.

The monoeye finally made it to the group, as she bent over with her hands resting on her thighs, gasping for breath. ''S-s-s-sorry I'm late. Th-there were a lot of people around, s-s-so it was hard to get through.'

'Manako, here. Drink up.' It seemed like Doppel had a water bottle coiled in one of her hair strands. She used her hair to toss the bottle in Manako's direction. She looked up and raised her arms to catch it, but she misjudged the distance, and the bottle hit her square in the forehead.

'Owwww…' She fell onto her knees, clutching her head as it reeled in pain.

'Oh, Mana-chan, you okay?' Tio asked in concern.

'Doppel, did you forget she has no depth perception.' Yuuto asked the shapeshifter.

'Oh, sorry Manako, my bad.' Doppel apologised flatly.

Sighing in disbelief, he walked up to Manako, knelt to her, and put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her as he picked up the water bottle. 'Hey, you okay there?' He asked her as if he was a parent trying to console their child. She raised her head and moved her hands away from her face, revealing her large eye which was tearing up from the pain.

Manako realised how close their faces were, and jerked her head away from him, her cheeks now bright red. ''Y-y-y-yes, I'll be fine.' She stuttered with a meek voice.

Yuuto raised the water bottle in front of her. 'Here, looks like you need it.' He said smiling at her.

She stared at the bottle for a moment, then grasped it with both hands. Manako then turned her head back to face him, with a small smile forming on her lips. 'Th-thank you, Kazama-san.'

They both raised to their feet, as Manako opened the bottle, and took a few gulps from it, now feeling refreshed.

'Now if Ms Smith would kindly get her ass over here, we can get this debriefing out of the way.' Yuuto said, clearly wanting to get today over and done with.

'What was that about my ass?' A sultry voice asked coming from behind the agent. He and Manako jumped back in surprise of the sudden new arrival, and it was none other than their superior, Kuroko Smith. The raven-haired woman lowered her sunglasses and focused her gaze on Yuuto. ''I'll have you know that my butt isn't my only redeeming feature.'' Kuroko winked at him teasingly.

'Speak of the Devil.' Doppel chimed in from her spot next to the Sedan.

''What did the police want with you, Ma'am?'' Tio asked, genuinely curious.

'Oh, Sergeant Ogawa was just showing his gratitude on behalf on the police force, it seems they enjoyed the performance we put on.' Kuroko was wearing a sinister grin as she recalled the conversation she had with the officer, he was bowing repeatedly and apologizing for doubting her team's capabilities to get the job done.

'Right, can we get this debriefing started now, please?' Yuuto asked plainly.

'Oh right, that. Okay everyone, line up.' At her request, the MON agents lined up alongside the Sedan parked behind them, ready at attention. Satisfied, she continued. 'And at ease.' Kuroko finally pushed her sunglasses back up while everyone relaxed, though Tio took it upon herself to resume snacking on her pocky. 'Great work today everyone, all criminals involved have been apprehended, and all the hostages are safe. Seems like the man responsible for the operation goes by the name of Gaku Takahashi, a former Yakuza member. Sergeant Ogawa informed me that he had a falling out with his superiors and broke off ties with the Yakuza, so this heist has no connection with the criminal organization, which means less paperwork for us!' All the girls sighed in relief, while Yuuto looked around, confused as to why it would be their problem. ''Zombina, excellent command as usual, but try not to get yourself shot up so much, it's expensive enough having just your preservatives changed every couple of weeks.'' The zombie in question just put her hands behind her head and laughed awkwardly. 'Manako, great shooting as always, keep up the good work.'

''Yes. Thank you, Ma'am.'' The monoeye nodded in recognition.

'Tio,' Smith looked up at the ogress as she was still happily snacking away. ''excellent work on keeping the hostages safe, I don't know what I'd do without you.''

'No problem at all, just happy I can help.' Tio said cheerfully.

'Doppel, good job getting close to the hostages unnoticed, and thanks for helping Tio secure them.'

'It was nothing, those dumbasses never saw it coming.' Doppel replied stroking her own ego.

'And finally, Bishie-kun.'

Yuuto hung his head in defeat as Zombina and Doppel snickered to themselves. 'Not you too…'

With a smile, Ms Smith continued. ''I'm impressed, it's not very often that an agent preforms so well on their first operation. Nice work keeping them locked in, and keeping them from accessing the safe, and on top of all that, beating a skilled combatant in one-on-one combat too. Keep this up and you'll definitely go far.''

Yuuto hadn't quite expected this much praise from his superior. ''Thank you, Ma'am'' Zombina placed a hand on his shoulder, and gave him a congratulatory thumps-up.

''I think that's everything, keep up the good work everyone. Zombina, you're with me, your hospital appointment is waiting.''

'Sure thing, Boss.' She replied dejectedly.

''Everyone else, head back to Headquarters and sign out for the day, you've all earned it. Yuuto,'' Smith took a set of keys for the SUV that was parked nearby and chucked them towards him. 'make sure everyone gets back safe.'

Yuuto caught the keys effortlessly. 'Will do.'

'Dismissed.' Kuroko commanded, and the two groups went their separate ways. She and Zombina got into the black Sedan, while the others made their way to the SUV she pointed out to them. As Kuroko and Zombina drove off, Manako was disassembling her rifle and packing it away into a large black case that was in the boot space of the vehicle. Yuuto got into the driver's seat, while Tio and Doppel settled themselves into the back seat. Yuuto opened the sun-roof so that Tio could sit up straight and enjoy the ride, seeing the top of her head rise though the top of the SUV.

'You ok there Tio?' Yuuto asked the ogress behind him.

''Yeah, I'm good. Thanks Sweetie.'' Tio replied in a sweet tone.

'Great, another nickname to add to the list...' He muttered to himself unenthusiastically.

'You know you love it, Newbie.' Doppel chimed in, obviously trying to tease the poor human.

Before he could retort though, Manako shut the boot of the vehicle, and got into the front passenger seat, buckling up her seat belt. 'R-r-r-ready when you are, K-K-Kazama-san.' She said meekly.

'Gladly.' He replied with a sense of relief. ''That was one hell of a day, ladies. Let's go home.''

With that, he put the vehicle into gear, and drove off in the general direction of Headquarters, happy that their work day was finally over.


	4. An opportunity arises

Edited 27/6/17: Correcting spelling and grammar errors. Also, Linimal should be Liminal, only just realised this after 11 chapters, oops.

* * *

'Flamethrower tank is now full. You may resume use when ready.' An automated voice announced as the two combatants were fighting for their lives against a monstrosity made of black ooze which well hell bent on ripping them apart.

''Chris! I'll hold it off, hurry!'' The dark-skinned woman shouted as she poured shotgun fire into the beast.

''Alright, don't die on me Sheva!'' The pale-skinned man replied as he sprinted towards the flamethrower.

He reached the weapon and hoisted the fuel tank onto his back, readying the weapon for use.

'AAAAGGGGHHH!'

He suddenly heard a scream. He faced towards where the sound was coming from, only to find his partner on the ground, covered in black tendrils, writhing in pain. The beast was looming over her, rising a mass of tendrils for the killing blow.

'Sheva!'

Before Chris could make it to her, the trendily smashed into Sheva. Blood splatted across the containment facility as her body was left bloody and lifeless.

* * *

''Aww C'mon!'' Zombina yelled when the TV scene darkened as the words 'YOU ARE DEAD' appeared in blood red. Yuuto was sitting next to her on the couch in his apartment, with a controller in hand, pondering what they did wrong. They were playing Biohazard 5, or Resident Evil 5 as is was more commonly referred to by the gaming community, and they thought it would be fun to play the co-op campaign on the hardest difficulty for tonight. They had done well initially, but when they finally came across Uroboros, one of the bosses in the game, it seemed they'd hit a brick wall. This was their fifth failed attempt in a row that evening.

Zombina placed her controller on the arm rest nearest to her, and slumped into her seat in defeat. 'How is it fair that it can do that much damage in one hit?!' She complained to herself.

'Well we are playing on Professional Mode after all, what did you expect?' Yuuto replied flatly, also feeling dejected by their constant string of failures. He pondered for a moment, rubbing his hand over the medical tape on his right cheek. ''Maybe we should've stuck closer together.'

'Yeah, and have it kill both of us in one hit?'

'Good point. Just a shame the game only gives you three seconds to revive on this mode.'

''I know, right? You'd think that they could take a couple hits at least.' Zombina pouted as she continued to rant about the game's difficulty.

''Well not everyone's an undead badass like yourself, Zee.''

The zombie looked to her side to see her blonde-haired squad mate, wearing a pair of denim jeans, a plain white T-shirt, and a burgundy coloured hoodie on top with the sleeves rolled up, as well as his signature pair of black leather fingerless gloves. He had his eyes narrowed, looking at her own heterochromatic eyes, and wearing a cheeky grin on his face. She herself was wearing her usual black tank-top and her green denim short shorts, which were rather revealing. She burst into laughter upon seeing the look on his face. She managed to calm herself down enough to retort.

'Geez, Beesh, how long did it take you to come up with that masterpiece?' She was grinning the whole time as she quoted what he said to her after the operation they were involved in the week prior.

'Very funny.' His face lit up at her question, his cheeky grin turning into a sincere smile. ''Seeing you gave me one, I thought I'd return the favour.''

Zombina blushed slightly at the statement. 'And it only took us like, two months of knowing each other to give each other pet names?'

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. ''You make it sound like we're dating.''

At that, she moved closer to Yuuto and rested her head on his shoulder, and placed a hand on his leg. 'We could always change that if you want.' She said in a sultry voice.

Yuuto's smile faded as he nudged her hand off him with his own, as she stared wide-eyed at him, not expecting his cold reaction. ''I'm sorry, Zombina. I like hanging out with you and all, but I just don't feel that way about you.'' Before she could say anything, he cut in with a smile. ''And before you say it, it isn't because you're dead.'

The red-head felt slightly more at ease at his statement, but she didn't feel any better about being rejected by the man she had grown attached to in the last couple months. When Yuuto first arrived at the Interspecies Cultural Exchange headquarters in Tokyo, it was a surprise for her and her team to hear from Ms Smith that he would be joining the squad and training with them. She knew that in time there would be more people joining MON after they proved themselves to be an effective anti-linimal special ops team, and it wouldn't have been a forgone conclusion that their future squad mates could very well be men, but with the current state of the Interspecies Exchange Bill, they hadn't been expecting a human to join the squad. Nonetheless the team trusted Ms Smith's decision, and they welcomed Yuuto Kazama with open arms, and they have been training together ever since. In that time, Zombina herself was put in charge of his combat training and his integration into the squad. During that time though, the two agents had grown quite close to each other, to the point that they considered each other best friends. At times, she thought that he might be the guy to finally sweep her off her feet, but as luck would have it, it wasn't meant to be. Finally, after being lost in thought for a while, she spoke up.

'So where are you hiding the lucky girl?' Zombina asked with a smirk on her face.

''There isn't. I haven't had a girlfriend since high school.'' Yuuto paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. 'Ever since I joined MON, you and the other girls have been so good to me, well despite the odd occasion involving Doppel and her pranks that is.'

Zombina snickered as she recalled the incident that happened the day Yuuto first moved in to the apartment complex that all the MON agents lived. That night, Doppel thought it would be a good idea to sneak into his room, disguised as the creepy girl from The Ring, and scare the living shit out of him as a house warming present. Zombina happened to accompany her on this little adventure, but was told to wait outside, much to her dismay. Doppel had her dressed up like Freddy Kruger ready for when he would run out of his room screaming. She did hear Yuuto scream, but to her surprise, as she jumped out to scare him further, she was met by Doppel flying mid-air towards her at some speed, and they smashed heads before falling to the floor. It seemed the he chose fight over flight, and threw her out of his room as hard as her could, but when he made his way into the hallway, Yuuto found the two girls, unconscious on the floor. He dragged them into his apartment, and once they came to, he offered them some beers as a means of apology, and the three were good friends ever since, though they did pay the price the day after as they went through a particularly gruelling training session with massive hangovers.

Once Zombina had calmed down a little, Yuuto continued. ''Anyway, since then, you girls have treated me like I was already one of you. What I'm trying to say is that despite the short time we've known each other, you feel like family to me, like an older sister even.''

He then noticed Zombina adjusting herself to lie down on the couch, then she rested the side of her head on his lap, with a content smile on her face.

'You comfy there?' He asked sarcastically.

She looked up at him, showing a toothy grin. ''Yeah, it's no Tio lap pillow, but it's still nice.'' She winked at him as he shook his head in defeat. ''And about what you said about me being like a sister to you, I guess I can live with that. I don't really remember anything about my life before I turned, but I guess I always wanted a little brother.'' She looked back to the TV screen which still had the game over screen from earlier. Her smile faded as she was reminded of her current state of being, it never bothered he much before, but tonight, it felt depressing to her. Yuuto seemed to pick up on this as she felt him place his hand on her arm, giving it a gentle, comforting squeeze.

'You okay there, Zee?' He asked with concern.

Zombina looked at him and smiled as she placed her own hand on his, squeezing it in return. ''Yeah, I'm good, Beesh. Thanks.''

Yuuto smiled in return. ''Good, just don't expect me to start calling you Big Sis though. Yui's already called dibs on that.''

''That's okay, wouldn't have it any other way.'' With that, she rose from his lap and stretched her arms. She reached for her controller, full of renewed determination, and selected 'Continue' on the game over menu. ''C'mon, we've got ourselves an asshole to kill, and I need my best bud for it.''

'You got it.' Yuuto reached for his own controller as they readied themselves for another hellish encounter.

As if by some miracle, they managed to defeat Uroboros without taking a single hit, which was followed by a victorious high-five from the two agents. After they got a chance to save their progress, Zombina stood up and stretched to loosen her muscles. ''I should probably head back to my apartment now, you've got a big day tomorrow.''

Yuuto stood up with a quizzical look on his face. 'Big day? What are you on about?'

'Didn't Kuroko tell you?'

As if on que, his phone went off, ringing to the tune of 'The Day' by Porno Graffitti. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID, it read 'Kuroko Smith'.

'Hah, speak of the Devil.' Zombina said, sporting a toothy grin.

'And she shall appear.' Yuuto added as he answered the call. ''Hey boss, what's up?''

'Ah, Bishie-kun, just who I wanted.' She paused as Yuuto swore he could hear coffee being slurped on the other end of the phone, which was hardly surprising considering who he was speaking to. ''I forgot to mention this earlier, but the higher-ups have asked us to attend a meeting tomorrow. It's about your future with MON. It starts at 9AM, so don't be late. Good luck!'

Before he could respond, she hung up, leaving the young man confused as to what just happened.

'I guess she has now.' Zombina chimed in while he was collecting his thoughts. She decided to get his attention by poking his cheek repeatedly. 'Hey, Earth to Beesh, you okay there?'

Yuuto looked down at his phone, looking rather annoyed, then pocketed it once more. 'That woman…' He then noticed Zombina poking his cheek still. 'Oh, yeah. Big meeting tomorrow apparently. Just wished she told me sooner.'

'Whatever, you know now at least, instead of having it dropped on you tomorrow.' Zombina said as she made her way to Yuuto's front door, with him in tow. As he opened the door, she turned around and gave him a tight hug, which he returned in kind. ''Anyway, good luck tomorrow. It's going to be a big deal.''

''Thanks, I guess there's no pressure.'' Yuuto replied sarcastically.

Zombina broke off from the hug, making her way back to her apartment. As she left, she turned to her side and waved Yuuto goodbye. 'See you tomorrow, Beesh.'

'Yeah, see you later, Zee.' With that, he closed his door, and made his way to bed. ''Big deal, huh? Hope it's nothing bad.''

* * *

The next day, Yuuto found himself waiting outside the meeting room at the Interspecies Cultural Exchange headquarters, dressed in a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black suit trousers, and a black tie. He still wasn't used to wearing something so formal, but it was necessary while he wasn't training or on an operation. Next to him stood Zombina, wearing her own suit, which was made up of black trousers and a white button-up shirt like Yuuto's, with the addition of a black suit jacket, though the way she wore her shirt and jacket showed off a great deal of cleavage. Ms Smith was already in the meeting, but had asked the two of them to wait outside while they discussed other important matters concerning the Interspecies Exchange Bill. Yuuto couldn't help but fidget the whole time, he was that nervous, and it didn't fail to grab Zombina's attention. She placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. He turned his head towards her to see a sincere smile on her face.

''Hey, Beesh. It's going to be okay, so don't sweat it.''

Yuuto felt slightly more reassured with Zombina there, but he still had worries. ''I know, but why would they call for me so soon? I mean, I did kind of overdo it with neutralizing Gaku Takahashi, but he had a hostage and- '

'Hey! Relax.' Zombina interrupted him while giving him a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. ''You've got nothing to worry about. And besides, that asshole got what he deserved, and I'm proud of what you did to save that girl. If the Board's got a problem with it, then they'll have to deal with me! I won't have them dissing my- '

'Zee! To tight, to tight!'

She was interrupted by Yuuto, who seemed to be in pain. It took her a moment to realise that it was caused by her squeezing his shoulder too hard as she was ranting. With that, she removed her hand as quickly as she could and started waving her hands apologetically. 'Oh, crap! Sorry Beesh! You okay there?!'

''Yeah, I'm good. Isn't anything I'm not used to by now.'' Yuuto rubbed his shoulder, glad to be free of the intense pressure that was put on it.

Just then, the door to the meeting room opened, and Ms Smith reared her head around the corner. Yuuto and Zombina suddenly straightened themselves out at the sight of their superior.

'Am I interrupting anything?' Kuroko asked as she lowered her sunglasses and smirked at them.

''Oh, no. It's nothing.'' Yuuto replied flatly.

''Yeah, just idle talk, that's all'' Zombina responded with a toothy grin while rubbing the back of her head.

Unable to find anything to tease them about, Kuroko pushed her sunglasses back up and continued to speak. ''Okay. Anyway, the board of directors are ready for you now. Let's go.''

'Right.' He replied dejectedly, still somewhat nervous about the situation.

''Don't look so glum, Bishie-kun. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.'' Ms Smith gave him a smile before entering the meeting room.

Zombina patted him on the back for encouragement. ''Kuroko's right, you've earned what's coming.''

Yuuto looked back at her quizzically. 'Do you know what the meeting was going to be about?'

'Maybe, but telling you would ruin the surprise.' She grinned for ear to ear, winking at him.

'Might as well get it over and done with.'

With that, the two agents filed in behind Kuroko and entered the meeting room. The room itself was set up as you would imagine any meeting room, with several tables lined up end to end, with chairs lining each side, with a chair at the end normally reserved for the company director. There were several windows on the opposite side of the room from where they entered, showing a view of the Tokyo Business District. At the far end of the room, seated at the table furthest from them, was the board of directors for the Interspecies Cultural Exchange, five in total, which included the Chief Executive Mahiro Yokoyama, a stern looking man with white hair, probably in his mid-sixties.

As they entered the room, Ms Smith and the two agents lined up in front of them, with Yuuto standing between the two women. As they stood at attention, Kuroko spoke up. 'Mr Yokoyama, fellow directors. Allow me to introduce Yuuto Kazama and Captain Zombina of Monster Operations Neutralization Squad Alpha.' Yuuto and Zombina both saluted at the mentions of their names.

At that, Yokoyama spoke up. 'Ah, excellent. At ease, you two.' The agents stood at ease as per his request as he continued. ''We've heard a great deal about the two of you, Ms Smith can't help but sing your praises, especially with your most recent success at the Metropolitan Bank last week. Please continue the good work.''

At that that, both Yuuto and Zombina bowed to the Chief Executive. As the two raised their heads, Zombina added. 'Just doing our jobs, Sir.'

'Now, Kazama-san, if you would like to step forward, please.'

'Yes, Sir.' He took a step forward, now feeling the spot light focused on him.

'We are here today to discuss your place in MON, and in the Interspecies Cultural Exchange as a whole. As you are aware, you are the first human to join their ranks, and this is no small feat by any means, considering your recent success in apprehending Gaku Takahashi and saving Miss Suphira from his clutches. It is safe to say that your actions during that operation were the main cause for its resounding success. You should be proud of yourself.' At that, Yokoyama and the other directors clapped in applause in unison.

Yuuto bowed again at the praise he received. ''I appreciated the praise, but I couldn't have pulled it off without Captain Zombina and the rest of the team. I owe them a great deal.''

The applause came to a stop, as Yokoyama spoke again. 'Be that as it may, this still a great accomplishment for you. Captain, what do you have to say about your newest squad member?'

Zombina stepped forward, now level with Yuuto, and spoke up. ''Well to be honest, the girls and I were surprised at first when Ms Smith first told us that Yuuto would be joining the squad, but since then, he's been a valuable asset to us. It was actually his idea to change the code on the safe to delay the criminals, as well as shutting off the power to the building to distract them. We never could've pulled that sort of tactic off without his hacking skills, and that human scumbag might've gotten away as well if not for his intervention. He's more than proved himself in that operation alone.'' Yuuto looked to his side as she continued to speak highly of him, and because it was Zombina saying it, he couldn't help but smile.

''Thank you, Captain. Now, Ms Smith, what's your opinion of young Kazama here?''

From behind Yuuto, Kuroko took off her sunglasses, and spoke. ''Well, what can I say? Since we've hired Kazama-san, he's been a star. Not only has he shown great potential in training, he's been a major help in tracking down known liminal criminals. Outside of MON operations, he's been a big help in concerns of the Interspecies Exchange Program. Hosts and homestays alike have complemented his friendly attitude and his competence towards his work. In many respects, despite his short time with us, he's proved himself to be one of our best agents.''

Yuuto was now blushing from the constant cascade of praised he's been getting from everyone, though he was nowhere nearer to figuring out what the point of this meeting was, until the Chief Executive spoke up again. 'So, in your opinion, do you think Kazama-san would be able to handle command of his own squad in the future?'

Yuuto's eyes went wide with shock at the mention of 'Command'. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had only been with MON for a couple months, and the board of directors were already considering the possibility of giving him command his own squad. ''Surely Ms Smith wouldn't push that much responsibility on to me so soon, would she?'' He thought to himself.

'Of course!' He heard Kuroko exclaim. ''He seems to have a knack for inspiring others, and he's quite the tactician too. I think the position would be perfect for him.''

''Of course, she would. This is Ms Smith we're talking about.'' Yuuto thought as he subconsciously clenched his fists.

When Kuroko finished speaking, there were murmuring amongst the directors, before they quieted down to allow the Chief Executive to continue speaking. ''Now, for the main purpose of this meeting. Yuuto Kazama, with the increase in crimes involving both humans and liminals, it is hard for Squad Alpha alone to handle such a workload. MON needs to expand its ranks to handle this threat. What I'm saying is, we would be honoured if you would become the Captain of the new squad, Squad Bravo. Would you accept this position?''

With a deep breath and exhale, Yuuto calmed himself down and replied. 'Sure, why not.'

* * *

A/N: That's it for the 'Prologue' chapters for the story. Next time, I'll start introducing the new squad members for Yuuto's new squad. I've already got a good idea for the characters myself, but any suggestions are appreciated. As always, feel free to follow, favourite, and review if you'd like, and thank you so much for reading.


	5. Making new friends

Edited 27/6/17: Correcting spelling and grammar errors. Also, Linimal should be Liminal, only just realised this after 11 chapters, oops.

* * *

'Here you are, Zombina.' The waitress was handing out drinks to the zombie on the other side of the bar.

'Thanks, Mimi. Just put it on my tab!' The red-head replied with a smirk.

Yuuto, Zombina, and Doppel found themselves at the ''Oni's Tavern'' bar, which was only a short walk from their apartment complex. They decided to celebrate Yuuto's promotion to captain with a few rounds of drinks, but despite inviting Ms Smith and the rest of the squad, it was only the three of them. It seemed that Manako and Tio already made plans to see a friend, while Kuroko had paperwork to sort out, which was hardly a surprise.

''So, what's the occasion?'' Mimi asked while she was busying herself with cleaning glasses. She was an usagimimi with bright pink eyes, long pink rabbit ears, and equally long pink hair tied into a ponytail with long bangs. She was wearing a white long-sleeved dress shirt, black trousers, and a black waistcoat, as well as a little black bowtie.

''Beesh here got promoted to captain of a new squad today, so we're celebrating!'' Zombina pointed a thump towards the blonde man next to her as he took a swig of his beer, which she followed by swigging her own. She was wearing her usual attire of a black tank top and green denim shorts, along with a red bomber jacket and what looked like black army boots.

Yuuto put his bottle down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he spoke up. ''That's great and all, but I wish Smith would've told me about the people I'm going to be working with at least, instead of keeping everything a surprise like she usually does.'' He said with a hint of annoyance. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt with a black, short-sleeved shirt on top, and a pair of navy jeans and white trainers, not to mention his favourite fingerless gloves.

Zombina suddenly wrapped her free arm around the back of his neck and pulled him close. ''Quit your whining and drink up! It's not every day you get to lead a unit of badass liminals! I bet half the guys at HQ are jealous of you right now!''

'Yeah, thanks for the reminder.' He stated sarcastically.

''She's right, you know.'' Yuuto and Zombina looked towards the direction of the snarky voice, only to see Doppel sitting on her stool and leaning forward, resting her crossed arms against the bar, as her hair coiled around her beer. Once she got their attention, the doppelganger continued. ''I mean, think of all the attention you'll get from the position.'' She smirked at him and gave him a playful wink before lifting her bottle to her lips with her hair, staring blankly at him, though she was getting plenty attention herself from the other patrons while she sat there in the nude, only covered by her own silver locks. This was nothing new to her co-workers though.

The pair stared blankly back at her, until Yuuto spoke up again. ''I didn't accept the position for 'attention', as you like to call it. I did it cause I want to make a difference. Hell, maybe this move might get the ball rolling on the amendment of the 'No Touchy' rule. The government's taking its sweet ass time about it.''

To their surprise, Mimi chimed in on their conversation, her ears perked up with excitement. ''I know, right?! My boyfriend and I have been dating for four months now, but we can't do anything about all this built-up tension between us! I just want to…'' She cut herself off as she covered her mouth with her hands, her cheeks now bright red and her ears drooping with embarrassment.

'Do it like bunnies?' Doppel added with a cheeky grin.

Mimi averted her gaze, feeling more embarrassed. 'Well, yeah, but can you blame a girl?' She began to speak softly. 'He was my host for a year before that, and that whole time he was so kind and sweet to me. Once my exchange period was over, I confessed to him and asked if I could stay with him, and he accepted.' The young woman smiled as she recalled their first kiss, but it faded as she continued. ''But it's hard to express our feelings physically with the Exchange Bill as it is…''

As the usagimimi trailed off, Zombina separated herself from Yuuto and propped her elbows on the bar, resting her head in her hands. ''I know how you feel. Being a zombie, it's hard to control my urges sometimes.'' She said with a hint on embarrassment.

''Well, that's an understatement.'' Yuuto stated, his cheeks bright red as she looked at him, grinning from ear to ear.

''Anyway, I know it's hard, but cheer up. Once the amendments have been made, you and your boyfriend can f-MMPPPH! ''. Zombina was cut off as her human co-worker frantically placed a hand over her mouth.

'Yeah, I think we get the picture, Zee.' He said as the waitress started giggling at their antics.

Mimi managed to stop giggling long enough to speak up. ''Yeah, there's no use crying over it. I bet you two must be frustrated as well, not being able to,' She paused for a moment as she chose her words carefully. 'get intimate…' she said while flushing furiously.

''You do realise Zombina and I aren't dating, right?'' Yuuto asked as he removed his hand from over Zombina's mouth.

'Why not?!' Mimi sprung forward, propping herself up with her hands on the counter, her face within inches of his as he leaned back from the sudden outburst. ''I mean, you two are so close! Is it a work thing?! Is it because she's a zombie?! What is it?!'' Yuuto sat there, his hands help up in a defensive posture and staring wide-eyed at the usagimimi, while Zombina was crying her eyes out in laughter at Mimi's and Yuuto's reactions. Meanwhile, Doppel had her hand over her mouth, trying her best to stifle her own laughter.

As this was going on, a young woman walked through the entrance of the establishment. Yuuto and Mimi stopped, and focused their attention at the new-comer. The woman was a hellhound, who had raven shoulder length hair, with large cropped wolf-like ears covered in black fur protruding from the top of her head. Her eyes had bright red irises with black sclera, but Yuuto noticed that instead of a wet button nose that werewolves and kobolds had, her nose resembled that of a human, which he found odd. She also had black fur covering her arms and legs, only going as far as her elbows and knees respectively. Her arms ended with large hands which had paw pads on her palms, and canine-like paws on her legs, all of them had long, dark-pink claws at the ends of her fingers and toes. She also had crimson coloured fur around her ankles and wrists, as well as just below her elbows. Her long, bushy tail was also covered in crimson fur. The rest of her body was bare skin, which was tanned grey, except for a patch of black fur protruding from the cleavage of her large breasts, which were at least DD's. The woman was wearing short, torn denim jeans which ended just above her knees, and a tight fitting grey tank top, which she wore under a short-sleeved leather jacket.

She looked relieved as she sauntered over to the bar next to where Yuuto was sitting, she then sat on the stool two seats away from him, and rested her furry arms on the counter. Yuuto hadn't noticed that he was staring at her the whole time, until she glanced at him, at which point he quickly broke eye contact and continued drinking his beer. Mimi at this point moved away from him and stood in front of the girl from her side of the bar.

''Welcome to the Oni's Tavern!'' She said in a cheery voice. 'What can I get you tonight?'

The hellhound grinned at her, showing off her large canines. 'Just a Bloody Mary,' She said with a gravelly voice. At that moment, bright red flames shot out from the corners of her eyes, which caused Mimi to jump back in shock and let out a cute 'EEP!'. 'on the rocks, please.'

'Coming right up, Miss!' The waitress scrambled in a panic to get the ingredients for the drink.

Yuuto had looked on in wonder as the flames from the hellhound's eyes started to die down. Zombina and Doppel were too busy talking about work to notice the spectacle, so he decided to pluck up the courage to speak to the strange girl sitting near him.

''That's a neat trick you got there.'' He said to get her attention. When she turned to face him, he continued. 'What do I need to do to learn that?' He asked sarcastically as a grin formed on his face. Luckily for him though, she chuckled at the ridiculous question before she calmed down and replied.

''Well, first, it helps if you're a hellhound, though I'm guessing you're out of luck there.'' She answered with a wide grin, with flames whipping lightly from her eyes again.

'Damn.' He exclaimed in mock disappointment. 'And here I thought I finally found a way to look like a badass.'

The hellhound's wide grin formed into a sincere smile at the statement, her tail now wagging happily. ''You know, most people would freak out from seeing my 'flame lashes'.'' She glanced towards the usagimimi waitress frantically mixing the Bloody Mary to make her point, then looked back at him. ''It's nice to see someone genuinely interested, instead of cowering in fear, for once.''

''Well, it's not every day you meet someone so,'' Yuuto paused as he searched for the right words. 'exotic and interesting.' He said with a sincere smile forming on his lips.

The girl's cheeks flushed crimson at his statement, as her tail wagged more frantically. After a moment, she got up from her seat, and sat herself down right next to him. She then extended an open hand towards him. ''The name's Blare, it's nice to meet you.''

Yuuto had a feeling that she wasn't as hostile as she appeared, but he wasn't expecting her to be quite this friendly in nature. Nevertheless, he reached his own hand forwards to grasp hers, which in turn enveloped his, then proceeding to shake it. ''Likewise. I'm Yuuto Kazama.''

Blare's eyes widened and her tail stood on end as he mentioned his name. ''Wait, you're Yuuto Kazama?''

Yuuto's hand stopped moving as he raised an eyebrow in confusion. 'You know about me?'

With that, Blare let go of his hand and placed both of her hands on his leg. She leaned towards him until their faces were only inches apart, her face now plastered with a massive grin with her ears perked up and her tail wagging frantically. ''Holy Crap! You're my new Squad Captain!'' She exclaimed loudly in excitement as her flame lashes flared up again.

Before Yuuto could react to his current situation, Mimi had finished the Bloody Mary and placed it in front of the pair. ''Here's your Bloody Mary on the rocks, Miss! That'll be 550 yen please!'' She exclaimed, still in a panic.

Yuuto and Blare just stared at her, with the hellhound still practically all over him. After a moment, he broke the silence. ''Mimi, you can calm down now. Blare isn't that scary.''

As if to prove his point, Blare pulled herself away from him and took a wallet out from her jean pockets, she then produced a 1000 yen note from it and handed it towards the waitress. 'Thanks, Flopsy. Sorry about scaring you earlier.' She said with a smile on her face.

Finally, after calming down, Mimi took the money from her. ''It's no trouble, I'll go get your change.'' With that she walked over to the till to process the order.

In that time, Blare had already gulped down half of her drink, and let out a sigh of satisfaction. 'Now that hit the spot!' She then looked back at the still bewildered Yuuto and chuckled to herself before resuming their conversation. ''Sorry about that. I guess you've been left in the dark about this whole thing. Ms Smith told me a lot about you and MON in general, but I'm guessing she hasn't brought me up yet, has she?''

Yuuto shook himself from his stupor as Mimi returned with Blare's change. Once she collected it, he replied to her question. 'She has a habit of forgetting important details. But in this case, it turned out to be a nice surprise.' Blare blushed at the comment as he continued. 'So how did Smith find you then?'

''Well, when I first moved to Japan for my exchange period, I enlisted with TALIO, they're a private security firm that specializes in defusing situations involving humans and linimals. Smith was my coordinator at the time and recognised my skills, so she suggested I start out with them. Turned out that my host was already working for TALIO and I was eventually hired on as her partner.'' She chuckled as she remembered the good times she spent with her host, on the clock and off-duty.

Zombina and Doppel were casually listening in on their conversation, and as soon as there was a pause, the red-head cut in. 'Oh yeah, TALIO!' She exclaimed as she leaned past Yuuto with a toothy grin to get the hellhound's attention. 'I actually know a couple of the girls that still work for them. You know Liz and Kinu?'

Blare's face brightened and her flame lashed flared from her eyes as she recalled the lizardfolk and oni pair she had worked alongside during her time working for TALIO. 'Oh yeah! Those two were always a blast to hang out with, though they could be a bit overly eager when it came to the job. Still remember the hassle they caused with that Princess Meroune job.' She said as she rubbed the back of her head. She then eyed up the zombie leaning over Yuuto. ''Sorry, but I don't think we've been introduced.''

Zombina stretched out her arm for a handshake. ''The name's Zombina. I'm the captain of MON's Alpha Squad. Pleased to meet cha, Blare!'' She said as boisterously as she could.

'Likewise.' Was the only response the hellhound gave as she shook the zombie's hand.

Yuuto let out an audible cough the get Zombina's attention, clearly not pleased with her invading his personal space. 'Zee, can you move, please?'

She looked at him and decided to have a little fun. 'Really? Here I thought you were enjoying the show.' She said teasingly as she gave him a playful wink.

''Don't give people the wrong idea.'' He said with a hint of annoyance.

Zombina chuckled to herself as she sat herself back on her own seat, much to his relief. ''Sorry, Beesh. Didn't mean to get in the way of you and your new crush.'' She said in a sultry voice.

Yuuto and Blare's faces were flushed red at her comment. ''It isn't like that!'' He exclaimed in embarrassment, while his co-worker was having another one of her laughing fits.

'Yuuto?'

He returned his attention to Blare as he heard her call his name. ''Hey Blare, what's up?''

She looked anxious as she was facing him, her hands in her lap, and her tail hanging limp behind her, her cheeks still crimson. After a moment, she spoke up. ''I know we've just met, but can I ask you a favour?''

'Sure, ask away.' He said reassuringly.

Blare's face brightened up as she continued. ''Well, I've only just moved into the complex today, and I don't know the area that well. Would you mind if you could walk me back to my place?''

Yuuto's face when red at hearing her request, imagining the possibilities it implied, but he shook himself from his somewhat inappropriate thoughts of his new squad mate, and re-composed himself. 'Sure, no problem!' He exclaimed with a hint of embarrassment. Her earlier advances hardly helped the situation, whether they were intended or not. This didn't escape the notice the attentions of a particular zombie and doppelganger duo, as he glanced to his other side and saw the two of them with teasing grins on their faces.

''If you're lucky, you might get to hold hands.'' Doppel said with a teasing wink.

'Very funny, Doppel.' Yuuto sighed as he furrowed his eyebrows at her. He then picked up his beer and finished it, before placing it back down. ''Anyway, thanks for the drink girls. I'll catch up with you tomorrow.''

''What, you're leaving already?'' Zombina said dejectedly.

''Well we've got work tomorrow, plus Blare wants me to escort her back to her apartment. Can't leave a squad mate hanging.''

As he was talking, Blare finished her Bloody Mary and placed the glass on the counter. 'Thanks for doing this, and sorry for cutting your night out short.' She said apologetically.

''Don't worry about it.'' He said as he got off his stool and headed for the entrance of the bar, with the hellhound in tow.

'Seeya tomorrow Beesh! You too Blare! Take care!' Zombina shouted as she waved the pair off.

'Will do.' Yuuto said as he waved back.

'See you soon, Zombina.' Blare said as she followed the human out the bar.

As the two of them left the building, Doppel spoke up. ''Is it okay to leave Newbie by himself with that hellhound? You know there's going to be trouble.''

'Don't worry, Beesh is a big boy now. He can handle himself.' Zombina replied with confidence before taking another swig of her beer.

''Well, I hope you're right…''

* * *

Yuuto and Blare were making their way back to the apartment complex, walking side by side. They were making idle chat as they walked through a side street he often used as a shortcut between the apartment complex and the bar. As they made their way through, Blare suddenly stopped and her ears perked up as they heard subtle sounds behind them.

Yuuto picked up on it straight away. ''What's wrong?'' He asked with concern in his voice.

''We're being followed.'' The hellhound replied.

Yuuto took a quick glance behind them to see a group of four young human men, all dressed in scruffy looking hoodies and torn jeans, all wearing black bandanas over their heads. They looked like one of the local gangs that had been causing trouble recently.

''Wait up! We're just lookin' for a good time!'' One of them shouted out with a sinister grin as the group quickened their pace towards the pair.

'We should run.' Yuuto said calmly. ''I'd rather we not get involved in any trouble.''

'Right.' Blare replied with a sense of irritation. It seemed that she didn't like the idea of fleeing with her tail between her legs, but they could scarcely afford to cause an incident. The pair started to run in the opposite direction of the gang so they could get back home without trouble, though that didn't deter the hooligans as they continued their pursuit. Before they could make it to the end of the side street though, another human, along with an orc, rounded the corner to block their escape. They were both wearing similar outfits as the gang members behind them, with the human wearing a pair of sunglasses and wielding a baseball bat as a weapon. Yuuto and Blare stopped in their tracks as their escape was cut off.

Suddenly, the man with the orc spoke up. ''Found ya, Bitch! We've been lookin' all over for ya!''

'Crap.' Blare muttered to herself, but Yuuto was able to hear her.

'I take it this is why you wanted me to come with you?' Yuuto asked as he took a defensive stance.

''Sorry I dragged you into this. I couldn't do anything by myself, and I was hoping we could avoid them too.'' Blare apologized as she instinctively stood back to back to him.

''And I guess you didn't call the police earlier due to the orc over there?''

''Precisely. Maybe I should've asked your friends to come with us.''

Yuuto smirked at her statement. ''I wouldn't worry, we can handle this situation ourselves, no problem.''

The leader of the group spoke up again as the hooligans surrounded them. ''Why did you run off earlier, mutt? We were only interested in some, 'Cultural Exchange', if you catch my drift.'' He put extra emphasis on Cultural Exchange with a perverse look on his face.

'Yeah, I always wanted to tame me a hellhound!' The orc behind him exclaimed with a lewd expression.

One of the four other humans to the opposite side of Yuuto and Blare pulled out a knife from the back pocket of his jeans. ''C'mon, let us have some fun, and maybe we won't mess up your boyfriend's pretty face.'' He said as he twirled the knife in his hand.

Blare's flame lashed erupted full force from her eyes in anger of the threat they made towards her new Squad Captain. Meanwhile, Yuuto was assessing their situation to find a way to deal with them quickly and without injury. His eyes widened as he came up with a plan.

'Blare, you think you can jump to that building to your right and single out the orc?' He whispered to his new squad mate.

''Shouldn't be a problem, but what about you? It's five against one.'' She asked with concern.

''Don't worry, I've got a plan. Just insult the guy with the bat and move out the way when I say so.'' With that he spoke up to the gang. ''Sorry guys, but we've got more important things to do.''

When he was done speaking, Blare spoke up to the thug with the bat. ''That's right, shit for brains! We haven't got time to deal with you scumbags!'' She snarled at him, her voice filled with rage.

The leader of the group got furious at her statement. 'We tried to play nice!' He shouted as he raised his bat and ran towards her. ''Now we're gonna have to get violent!''

'Blare, now!' Yuuto shouted.

In an instant, she leapt upwards and to her right towards the building as the leader was mid swing with his bat. As he was distracted, Yuuto grabbed the other end of the bat, and pulled the man towards him. He then turned and threw his back into the thug, still holding the bat, and with both hands grabbed the bat, and pulled full force to throw the man over his shoulder. The force of the throw forced the leader to let go of the bat, and land on top of two of the other hooligans, causing them to crash to the ground. The man with the knife managed to dodge to the side as this happened, then charged at Yuuto with his knife outstretched. At the same time, the orc behind the blonde agent moved forward in an attempt to grab him to prevent his escape, though he forgot about the hellhound woman that escaped the fray.

Blare in that time was able to land on the side of the building, and then propelled herself to the top of the lamppost above the group. When she found an opening, she dangled herself under the lamp, then pushed her paws off it as hard as she could. With that, she righted herself mid-air and landed on the unsuspecting orc's head, which caused him to hit the concrete pavement at full force, causing cracks in the pavement where his head landed.

The thug with the knife was distracted by the flying hellhound, and Yuuto used the chance to swing the bat at his assailant's hand to disarm him. The tip of the bat connected and send the knife flying, as well as break a few fingers in the process. As the man screamed in agony, Yuuto turned on the heel of his left foot, and swung his right leg into a reversed round house kick, which then connected to the side of the thug's face. It sent the man flying to the ground next to his companions.

Yuuto readjusted himself to face the final hooligan as he twirled the bat in his right hand, then holding it out in front of him, gripping it with both hands pointing towards the thug. Behind him, Blare was crouched on top of the orc's head, looking up at the group, her flame lashed now erupting at full force from her eyes due to her rage. The humans got up on their feet, now presented with the terrifying scene in front of them, and quaked in fear.

Blare growled at the group before shouting as loud as she could. 'Now, fuck off!'

Without any delay, the gang ran off screaming, abandoning their orc comrade as they fled from the pair of MON agents. With that, Blare's flame lashes died down as she leapt off the orc to stand next to her captain, now feeling a lot calmer.

Yuuto dropped the bat and looked to his side as Blare stretched her arms above her and let out a sigh of satisfaction. When she noticed his gaze, she dropped her arms to her sides and spoke up.

'How do you like that?' She said with a massive grin.

'That was impressive, no wonder Smith hired you on to join MON.' He stated, sporting a grin of his own.

'Are you kidding?! That was nothing compared to what you pulled off!' She shouted as she grabbed his shoulders. ''Are you sure you're not half demon or something?!''

'Not that I know of.' Yuuto replied as he chuckled to himself. He then stepped away from the hellhound as he made his way to the unconscious orc on the ground, and crouched next to him. 'Is this guy going to be okay?'

Blare crouched down next to him as she looked upon her own handiwork. The orc was clearly out of it as blood ran from his snout and mouth. ''Unfortunately, yeah. Orcs are stupidly tough bastards, but this guy won't be getting back up anytime soon.'' She said as she prodded the orc's forehead.

Yuuto got back up on his feet as he stretched his own arms. ''Okay, well we should probably get back home now. All this ruckus will have gotten people's attention, who'll have probably called the police by now. I'd rather not have to go through a shit ton of paperwork over these small fries.''

'Agreed.' Blare stated as she got back up herself. 'Thanks again for helping me out. I owe you one.' She blushed as she said that.

'No problem.' He replied as he walked past the orc. ''C'mon, let's go.''

'Right.' Blare caught up with Yuuto as they jogged off around the corner and headed back to the apartment complex.

* * *

Once they got back, Yuuto pulled out a key card and used it to open up the entrance to the building as Blare lead the way back to her apartment. As they walked there, he noticed that they were walking along the corridor to his own place. Before he knew it, they were standing outside her place. This was when he noticed the door to his apartment to the right of hers.

''Well that's convenient.'' He muttered to himself, but Blare with her canine ears was able to pick up what he said.

'What is?' She asked curiously.

Yuuto then pointed towards the door of his apartment. ''That's my place right there.''

''Awesome! Looks like we're neighbours!'' She exclaimed with a massive grin on her face.

''Looks like you're feeling a lot better now with that business dealt with.'' He stated as he noticed Blare's tail wagging and her flame lashes erupting from her eyes.

'Yeah, definitely. Thanks a bunch.' She said as her grin turned into a sincere smile, her cheeks bright red.

''No problem, Blare. I'll see you tomorrow.'' Yuuto said with a smile of his own.

Before he could walk off, Blare suddenly wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug, her bushy tail wagging furiously. Unable to escape, he wrapped his arms around her waist to return the favour, his cheek now bright red. After a moment, she finally broke from the hug and opened the door to her apartment. Before she entered, she turned around and waved him goodbye. 'Seeya tomorrow, Stud.' She said as she winked at him. 'Good night!' With that, she walked through the door and shut it behind her.

Yuuto stood there for a moment, confused at the sudden flirting he received. 'Stud? Really?' He complained to himself about the new nickname he got. He then shook his head and went to open the door to his apartment. 'How many more nicknames am I going to get?'

With that, he walked through and shut the door behind him. He decided to go straight to bed, knowing full well that tomorrow was going to be a hectic day.

* * *

A/N: Thank you everyone for your continued support, and an extra thanks to FanFiction user brotherben8932 for the Hellhound suggestion. Hopefully people are going to grow to like Blare. Again, thank you everyone who follow, favourite, review, and make suggestions, and thanks for reading.


	6. Everyday life of a MON agent

Edited 27/6/17: Correcting spelling and grammar errors. Also, Linimal should be Liminal, only just realised this after 11 chapters, oops.

* * *

Sunlight beamed through the curtains to herald the start of the day, casting light through the small apartment Yuuto called home. It was a two-room layout, with one large room that served as a living area, with a kitchenette in the corner farthest from the window, and a bed placed on the other side of the room. The second room was a small wash room, which had a toilet and sink for daily necessities. A small corridor ran from the main room, past the small wash room to the front door of the apartment, where several coat hangers were fixed along the wall. It was basic, but it was ample enough room for the single 23-year-old human. Yuuto was still asleep in his bed, exhausted from last night's tussle with one of the local gangs. He was content to wait for the alarm to go off, though he would not be given that chance today.

 _KNOCK KNOCK_

Yuuto stirred from his slumber at the racket coming from his front door. He reached for his alarm clock to check the time, it was only 5:05am. He groaned to himself as he placed it back down on the bedside counter, and threw off his bed cover. He was wearing a white vest with a pair of blue loose fitting pyjama bottoms. As he got out of bed, he stood up and stretched his arms up as he let out a yawn.

 _KNOCK KNOCK_

Yuuto winced as the noise from the door which started to give him a headache. 'Who could it be at this hour?' He complained as he made his way to the front door, rubbing the back of his head. He pulled to door open to find a familiar sight. It was Blare, the cute hellhound he had met last night. She was wearing a blue and white sweatband around her head, a tight white t-shirt, and a pair of blue running shorts with white stripes on the sides. Her crimson bushy tail wagged happily and her flame lashes ignited from the corners of her eyes upon seeing her new friend.

'Morning Stud.' She said in a sultry voice with a massive grin and a wink.

''Morning Blare. You're up early.'' He stated while rubbing the sleep from his eyes, trying to ignore the flirting he was receiving. He had a hard-enough time dealing with flirtatious women when he was fully awake.

Blare giggled to herself at the current state of her squad captain. ''Guess I'm just a morning person, unlike some people.'' She said teasingly as she lightly poked his nose.

''Okay. Well, I'm guessing the reason you're here so early has something to do with that outfit you're wearing.'' Yuuto said unenthusiastically, dreading the prospect of what Blare wanted with him so early in the day.

''Well aren't you perceptive.'' Blare spun on around on her left paw to show off her outfit. Yuuto couldn't deny the fact that the hellhound did look sexy in her running gear, though he wouldn't tell her that. Once she was facing him again, she continued. ''Well, as you might've already noticed, I like to start my day with a run, but I'm in need of a running partner.'' At that, she stepped towards him until their faces were inches apart. Yuuto blushed as she got close. 'So, I was wondering. Could you help a girl out, pretty please?' She asked, her words as sweet as honey.

It was obvious to Yuuto that she wasn't going to take no for an answer, but he thought that it would be a good chance for the two of them to bond, seeing they were going to be spending a lot of time together at work, being squad mates and all. With a sigh of defeat, he relented to her sweet assault.

''Sure, just let me get changed and I'll be with you in a sec.'' He said with a hint of despair in his voice.

Blare suddenly pulled him into a tight hug, which succeeded in fully waking up the human, his cheeks now bright red. 'Oh, thank you thank you thank you!' She exclaimed excitedly, her tail now a blur due to her excitement. After a moment, she let go of him and started to make her way down the corridor. ''I'll meet you outside by the entrance, see you there!'' Blare shouted as she jogged down the corridor towards the staircase.

Once she was out of sight, Yuuto finally cracked a smile as he chuckled to himself, finding Blare's excitableness adorable. 'And here I thought Zee was a lively one, Blare might have her beat.' He thought to himself as he went back into his apartment to get changed.

* * *

Sometime later, the pair found themselves running by the pool in the local park. Yuuto decided to wear a red t-shirt, black running shorts, and a pair of white trainers. They were about halfway through their run, though he was already starting to tire. Blare on the other hand, wasn't even breaking a sweat, as a 3km run was part of her normal routine. Yuuto had to slow to a stop and bent over so he could catch his breath. Blare only just noticed this, and ran back to his side. She then placed a hand on his back as Yuuto caught his breath.

'Looks like we need to work on your stamina, Stud.' She said teasingly while rubbing his back. ''Can't have you getting exhausted on an op now, can we?''

''Last time I checked, most ops don't involve long distance running.'' Yuuto replied, feeling slightly annoyed. He straightened himself up as sweat dripped from his forehead. ''Where's a vending machine when you need one?''

Blare moved her hand from Yuuto's back to his shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze. ''Well, considering you're not used to it, I think you're doing pretty well.'' She said, trying to reassure him.

''Well, that's good to hear. Just don't expect me to run a half marathon anytime soon, let alone a full one.'' He said jokingly, hoping to whatever deity that she wouldn't put him through such an ordeal.

Blare just giggled to herself as she let go of him. ''I'm not trying to kill you if that's what you're thinking.''

''Could've fooled me.''

While they were chatting, they suddenly heard someone shout out to them.

'Hey, Blare!'

They turned to see a light brown-furred kobold woman, with short chestnut hair that had bangs that reach down to her shoulders, and had light blue eyes. She also had small, cropped ears on the top of her head, and a bushy chestnut coloured tail. She was wearing a black tank top, which was covered by a light green tracksuit top with the sleeves rolled up, white running shorts and a pair of white trainers. She was also wearing a dark green sweatband on her head and a black collar around her neck, as well as yellow armbands around her wrists, and black leg bands around her thighs. Upon seeing her, the pair immediately recognized that it was Polt, the owner of the local Sports Club Kobold here in Tokyo, which specialised in providing exercise amenities for both humans and linimals of all shapes and sizes.

''Holy crap! Polt, it's good to see you again!'' Blare shouted as she jogged towards the kobold running towards them. They met in the middle and embraced each other, both their tails wagging furiously. ''How are you doing?! How's things at the gym?!'' She asked excitedly.

''Everything's great! The gym's been a huge success, I'm just glad I can help so many liminals out!'' Polt replied, equally excited. She then noticed Yuuto and waved a hand at him. 'Hey, Yuuto, long time no see!'

'Hey Polt.' He replied as he walked up to the pair of canine liminals, still dripping in sweat.

Polt broke off from the hug to confront the blonde human. 'I had no idea you knew Blare. How long have you known each other?' She asked with a curious look on her face.

''Bout less than a day, ran into each other at 'Oni's' last night. Now she's got me sweating bullets out here.'' Yuuto said with a smirk on his face.

'You love it, Stud.' Blare said teasingly, giving him a wink.

'Glad to see you two get along!' Polt exclaimed excitedly. Suddenly, an idea struck the kobold. 'Oh, how about I join you guys for the rest of your run? I could give you guys a few pointers on your technique.'

'That would be great!' Blare shouted in excitement, her tail wagging happily and her flame lashes erupting from her eyes. ''It'll be a good chance to catch up!''

'Sure, sounds like fun. Just give me a-' Yuuto was cut off when both Blare and Polt ran past him in a blur.

''Let's hurry it up Yuuto! Got to keep your body in shape!'' Polt shouted as she ran off.

''C'mon Stud! Don't want you to get left behind!'' Blare exclaimed, easily keeping up with the excitable kobold.

'Hey! Wait up!' The poor human shouted, struggling to keep up with the two canine liminals in his exhausted state. He realized then that this was going to be a long day.

* * *

Yuuto was at his desk at the Interspecies Cultural Exchange Headquarters, busying himself with filling out forms on his computer. He was waiting for Smith to finish giving Blare her first day induction, so he decided to check over a few Independent Activity Pass application forms while he waited. While the main job of the MON agents was that of a special ops team, when they weren't on operations or training, they would help with the Exchange Program, doing jobs such as filling out or approving paper work, making visits to hosts and homestays, and sometimes provide security back-up for coordinators dealing with the more dangerous species of liminal. As he went through the application forms, He came across one from someone he recognized.

'Sulphira Magnious. Aged nineteen. Reason for application,' He mumbled to himself as he read the form, until someone behind him rested her head on top of his, and wrapped her arms around him. He recognized the stitches on her wrists and knew immediately that it was Zombina.

'Morning Beesh.' She said with a smile on her face.

''Hey Zee, what's up?'' He asked, trying his best to look up at her from his current position.

'Nothing much, just need my morning recharge is all.' Zombina said as she squeezed tighter, pressing her breasts against the back of his neck. This was part of their usual morning routine, though Yuuto couldn't remember when or why she started doing this, but he guessed that this gave her another way to tease him, and it worked very well. His cheeks went red as she squeezed tighter.

''You know, we're going to have to stop this when I get a girlfriend, or when you get a boyfriend if you prefer.''

Zombina pouted at his statement. ''Well, it wouldn't a problem if you had let me ask you out the other night.'' She jokingly complained to herself. She hadn't fully got over the rejection, but she had accepted it, and she was glad she still had her best friend.

Yuuto chuckled to himself at her complaint, though he calmed himself quickly enough to reply. ''Can't help how I feel, Zee. You're lucky that I'm okay with this at all.''

'Yeah, but that might change when Blare gets her paws on you.' She said teasingly with a massive grin as she poked his cheek. 'I heard that she dragged you out of bed to go running with her this morning. You certainly have a way with women, Beesh.'

'Who told you?' Yuuto asked, feeling annoyed that there were already rumours going around about him and his new squad mate.

'Blare did!' The red head exclaimed.

'Of course, she did.' He said as he hung his head in defeat, while Zombina was laughing her head off.

She finally let go of him and straightened herself out. 'Cheer up, Beesh. Most guys would kill to get the attention you get. Anyway, what are you up to?'

''I was just checking the latest batch of IAP forms. Guess who's applied for one.'' Yuuto said as he pointed towards his computer monitor.

Zombina leaned down next to him as she stared at the screen for a moment, then suddenly recognizing the name on the form. ''Sulphira?! I'm surprised she wants to leave the house at all after what she's been through!'' She exclaimed in surprise.

'I thought the same thing, but read the reason for her application.' He requested as he showed her the relevant section of the form.

She read the form and her eyes went wide. 'She wants to join MON?!'

''Guess so. This is just a stab in the dark, but I think the hostage situation really got to her, and she seems to think that joining MON will help get rid of the feeling of helplessness she might have. I've not checked her personal file yet, but I doubt she has any history of combat experience.'' He stated, worried about how the ordeal might have affected the young dragonewt.

'Well, best thing we can do is check up on her and the Kaneko family before we move further with this. I was hoping it would be more of a relaxed visit though.' Zombina said with a look of concern on her face.

'Bishie-kun!'

The pair were distracted from their task when Ms Smith called out to Yuuto. They looked up to see her walking towards his desk, with Blare in tow. The hellhound was wearing a suit like Kuroko's, it was made up of a white button-up dress shirt with short sleeves, a black suit skirt, and a black short sleeved jacket. Kuroko and Blare stopped next to Zombina as Yuuto got out of his seat.

'Hey Stud.' Blare said cheerily while waving at him, with her flame lashes burning brightly.

'Hey Blare, you all set?' Yuuto asked.

''Yes, I've walked Blare through everything she needs to know.'' Ms Smith said with a grin on her face. ''We can start squad training tomorrow, but today, I've got a ton of paperwork to do, so I need the MON members to help with host family check-ups. Zombina,'' She turned to the red head. 'I need you and Tio to check up on the Sato family. Their homestay, Scorpia, has been acting up again.'

'Oh, the girtablilu. Yeah, Tio and I can handle her.' The zombie was aware of how dangerous the scorpion liminals were, but she and Tio were well acquainted with Scorpia, so if anyone could calm them down, it was those two.

'Good. Yuuto, as for you and Blare, I need to go visit the Kurusu residence. I just need you two to check up on all the homestays currently staying there.' Smith handed him a file containing information on all the homestays living there, as well as the host in question.

''Homestays? How many are we talking about, Ma'am?'' Blare questioned.

'Seven in total.' She replied with full confidence.

'Kurusu, huh?' Yuuto pondered to himself as he opened the file. 'Well, I only knew one guy with that surname back in school.' He flicked through the dossiers of the homestays while he was drinking a soda he had on his desk. As he turned to the file of the host himself, Yuuto spurt out soda in shock to find who he was.

'Kimihito?!'

Never in a million years did he think that his old school-friend, Kimihito Kurusu, was capable of surviving a house full of monster girls.

* * *

A/N: So there you have it. Kimihito and the girls with be making their appearance next chapter, and how will Yuuto and Blare handle such a chaotic household? Stay tuned for the next chapter of MON - Squad Bravo. Thank you again to everyone that has followed and favourited my story, as well as reviewed and given suggestions, and thank you for reading my story.


	7. The Kurusu Residence

Edited 27/6/17: Correcting spelling and grammar errors, and make Lala's speech consistent. Also, Linimal should be Liminal, only just realised this after 11 chapters, oops.

* * *

Yuuto was driving through the local suburbs making his way to the Kurusu residence. Smith had assigned him and Blare to check on the homestays that lived there, though they were apprehensive about having to deal with not one, but seven liminals. Blare was checking over the files herself while Yuuto was driving,

''Holy crap, this Kurusu guy must be nuts to host so many liminals. It's a wonder he hasn't died yet.'' She said as she scanned over each of the girls' dossiers, a lamia alone would've been tough to handle.

'From what I remember back in middle school and high school, Kimihito has always been pretty tough.' Yuuto said with a sense of nostalgia. 'I remember this one time back in first year of junior high, when he fell from a tree trying to get a stray cat down. Despite the 20ft drop, he came out with only a few minor bruises, and the cat was perfectly fine. For the rest of middle school, he thought he had some sort of unholy power and went full on Chuunibyou.'

'Sounds like you guys had some good times.' She replied with a grin on her face.

'Yeah, but thankfully, that stopped when we started high school, but I never let him forget about those embarrassing days.' He continued with a sinister grin on his face as he recalled the embarrassment he put Kimihito through during breaks, quoting some of his infamous lines as he watched his poor friend get flustered over the embarrassment.

''The two of you must've been close.'' Blare chimed in as he was lost in thought.

''Maybe, though we lost contact with each other after we graduated. I'm surprised he agreed to become a host for the Interspecies Exchange Program.''

As they were chatting, the sat-nav indicated that they arrived at their destination. They pulled up to see a rather large two-story detached house, which had a small patio area on the right-hand side, and a decent sized balcony area with two sets of railings in the centre, presumably for hanging washing. It was obvious that the house was extensively modified.

''Looks like we're here, and the place is massive!'' Blare exclaimed in surprise as she looked the property over from the SUV.

'Has to be to accommodate larger liminal species.' Yuuto replied as he got the files from her and looked them over again.

''Just so you know Stud, I only found files for six liminals living here. Didn't Smith say there were seven?'' She asked with a quizzical look on her face.

''She told me that there's a slime living here too, but she's not on record, seeing that slimes aren't officially classified as an intelligent species yet. Probably wanted to avoid extra paperwork, knowing her.'' He explained to the hellhound, somewhat annoyed at the fact that the government doesn't seem to recognize slimes as people right now. As he looked through the dossiers again, he stopped when he came across the file of a dullahan. His eyes widened as he checked the photo attached to it.

'No way…' Yuuto muttered to himself. Blare managed to pick up on what he said though.

'What is it, Stud? Someone you know?' She asked out of curiosity.

Yuuto shook himself from his thoughts at his squad mate's prodding. ''Oh, it's nothing. This Lala girl just reminds me of someone I met when I was still in high school.''

'Old girlfriend?' Blare asked teasingly in a sultry voice.

Yuuto sighed as she started giggling to herself. ''C'mon, we'd better get on with this visit.'' And with that, they both exited the SUV and he locked it.

They made their way to the front door of the building, which was large enough to let a large-breed arachne though with no trouble. Once there, Yuuto rang the doorbell and waited a moment.

''I'll get it!''

They heard the voice of a chipper young girl shouting from inside. A few seconds later, the door flung open to reveal a small harpy, with short blue hair that had bangs that went down to her chest, big wide amber eyes and big blue wings. She was wearing a black tube top as well as beige denim short shorts. Her face lit up with a huge smile as she saw the two agents in front of her.

''Hi, I'm Papi! Papi the Harpy!'' She exclaimed in excitement. 'Who are you?'

'Hey Papi.' Yuuto replied. ''I'm Yuuto Kazama, and this is my partner, Blare. We're from the Interspecies Cultural Exchange.''

''Hey Papi, it's nice to meet you.'' Blare said waving at the harpy.

Yuuto continued. 'Is your host in right now?

''You mean Boss? Yeah, I'll go get him.'' She replied before she went bounding off to go find her host. After a few steps though, she stopped and looked back at the pair. 'Um…' She looked at them in bewilderment. 'who are you?' She asked again.

'Oh, right. Birdbrain.' Yuuto muttered to himself, almost forgetting the 'Three-step rule' that most harpies seemed to suffer from.

Blare chuckled to herself before speaking up. 'Papi, is it alright if we come in?' She asked politely.

'Sure!' The harpy replied excitedly before running off back into the living room, presumably to go get Kimihito.

As Yuuto and Blare entered and shut the door behind them, they walked towards where Papi had gone, until suddenly, Blare was flung into the air with a yelp. Yuuto looked back to see his partner had gone missing, until he looked up, and saw her hanging from the ceiling, tied up in spider silk, more specifically, arachne silk tied in a diamond pattern binding across her body. Hanging next to her, was an arachne with short, shoulder length lilac hair and six crimson eyes. Her arms, as well as her spider body parts were covered in black carapace, with a white skull pattern on the top of her abdomen. The busty woman was wearing a white sleeveless blouse with matching sleeves on her arms, as well as a black skirt with a black leather belt she wore over her pedipalps. It seemed that Rachnera Arachnera had the drop on them. She was smirking to herself, impressed by her catch.

'Look what we got here.' The arachne complemented herself. ''It's not every day you get to catch a hellhound, though I'd thought you'd put up more of a challenge.'' She said directly to Blare, who was currently unable to speak due to the silk wrapped around her mouth, struggling to break free of her bonds.

'Excuse me, Miss Rachnera?' Yuuto asked trying to get her attention. Rachnera turned to face the human, then slowly lowered herself down to the ground until she was face to face with him.

'Oh, did you want to play too?' She asked in a sultry voice with a grin on her face.

''No, but I'd really appreciate it if you let my partner down now.'' He replied flatly.

Rachnera stared at him for a moment, trying to find any hint of fear or nervousness, but couldn't find any. Satisfied, she continued. ''What's the magic word?'' She asked teasingly.

'Pretty please with a cherry on top?' Yuuto replied, deciding to humour the woman in front of him. He thought it better to play along, or he might find himself in a similar position to what Blare was in currently. He noticed that said hellhound was still struggling to free herself from her literally sticky situation, trying to shout for help through the silk gag.

''Alright, I'll let your little puppy down, seeing you asked so nicely.'' Rachnera replied, giving him a wink with her three left eyes. She then skittered up the wall to where Blare was, preparing to let the poor girl down.

During this time, Yuuto felt a tug on the back of his shirt. He turned around to find a small blue slime girl, who had big emerald eyes, and green 'slime hair?' which ended with a feeler on the top of her head, and two tendrils flowing down to her waist, each ending in yellow tips. She was wearing a yellow raincoat, as well as a pair of yellow wellington boots. The small slime looked at him, her eyes full of curiosity.

Yuuto knelt till he was at eye level with the slime. ''Hi there, I'm Yuuto.'' He introduced himself with a sincere smile. ''What's your name?''

''I'm Suu. It's nice to meet you.'' She replied with a smile as she extended one of her tendrils towards the human.

Yuuto presumed she wanted him to shake it, and so he did. 'Likewise.' He said as he chuckled to himself due to the odd greeting he received.

It was then that Suu noticed Blare hanging from the ceiling, as Rachnera was slowly releasing her from her bonds. 'Rachnee-san, what are you doing?' The slime girl questioned the arachne, as her feeler on the top of her head formed into a question mark.

'Just entertaining our guests.' She replied as she removed the gag from Blare's mouth. The hellhound gasped for breath as the gag was removed.

'Thanks, Spidey. Can you let me down now please?' Blare asked in a slightly annoyed manner. Yuuto was surprised at how calm she was, despite her current predicament, but he guessed that she was merely trying to be professional.

'Careful what you wish for.' That was Rachnera's only reply as she cut the silk that suspended the MON agent with one of her claws.

With that, Blare began to fall as she let out a scream, but instead of hitting the ground hard, she opened her eyes to find herself immersed in a slimy blue liquid. It seemed that Suu anticipated this and sprang right underneath the hellhound, and changed her form to that of a large blob, but with small stubby arms and a feeler on top, as well as two simple emerald eyes. The silk that bound Blare started to break apart inside on the slime, and she took the chance to swim out of Suu. She collapsed to the floor, gasping for air and covered in slime, as the slime girl changed back into the form of a small girl, kneeling right next to her.

Blare sat up and faced Suu as she caught her breath. 'Thanks kid. I owe you one.' She said as she patted the slime girl on the head.

Suu giggled to herself and smiled at the praise she received. 'No pro.' She replied cheerfully.

Yuuto walked up to Blare and crouched next to her. 'You ok there?' He asked with concern.

''Yeah, I'll be fine.'' She replied weakly, as she examined herself in her current state. ''Holy crap, I'm totally drenched.''

'Better than a few bruises.' Yuuto replied with a chuckle.

Rachnera lowered herself to the ground again with a smirk on her face. ''All's well that ends well, I guess.'' She said confidently as if none of this was her fault in the slightest. ''Well, I'll leave you guys to it.''

Before the arachne could skitter off, she was pounced from behind by Suu and knocked to the ground. As she was face down on the floor, she raised her head to find that the slime girl was groping her all over with the feelers.

'Knock it off Suu!' Rachnera protested as Suu happily continued tormenting the vulnerable arachne. ''You know I don't like this!''

Blare was laughing her ass off at the sight in front of her. 'Hah! Serves you right, Spidey!'

'Guess this is what you call karma.' Yuuto muttered to himself, not wanting to get involved with this little debacle.

Just then, Papi bounded back into the hallway to see what the commotion was about. Behind her was a young man with messy black hair and brown eyes, wearing a plain white t-shirt, dark green trousers, a light green hoodie, and a pair of white trainers. He was the definition of a Generic Harem Protagonist.

'No fair!' Papi exclaimed as she saw Suu 'playing' with Rachnee-san. 'I wanna play too!' She shouted as she ran towards the pair.

''What's going on here?'' The young man asked with a quizzical look on his face as his eyes went blank. As he looked around, he noticed Yuuto standing up and looking his way. His eyes widened as he recognized his old school-friend. 'Yuuto?! Is that you?!' He yelled in shock at the sudden appearance of his friend he hadn't seen since they graduated from high school.

'Long time no see, Kimihito.' Yuuto replied with a grin on his face, sticking his thump up.

Kimihito walked up to him and pulled him into a hug. ''It's good to see you again!'' He exclaimed, happy about their reunion. 'How are you, and what are you doing here?' He questioned as he stepped back to give the blonde agent some space.

''Not too bad thanks, though I've been busy since I joined MON a couple months back.'' Yuuto replied enthusiastically.

''MON?! But you're human, right?!'' Kimihito exclaimed, surprised at the fact that they let him join an anti-liminal special-ops team with the current state of the Interspecies Exchange Bill.

''I'm mainly there for dealing with other humans the team might have to deal with, as well as some hacking where it's needed.'' Yuuto explained to the now flabbergasted Kimihito.

'Oh, that makes sense.' Kimihito replied, pulling a complete 180 from his earlier retort, though this sort of behaviour didn't surprise Yuuto in the very least. Kimihito continued. ''Still doesn't explain why you're here though.''

''Well, Smith would normally be the one to visit, but she's piled under right now. So, she's sent me and my squad mate Blare to come and do a check-up with the homestays here.'' He explained as he gestured towards his slime covered partner who just got up on her paws.

''It's nice to meet you, Kurusu-kun.'' Blare said as she bowed down before him.

''Oh, my gosh! Are you alright, Miss?!'' Kimihito panicked as he rushed towards the hellhound, which caused her to flinch momentarily. ''I'm so sorry about what's happened to you! Please, feel free to clean yourself up while you're here! I'll even clean your suit up!''

Blare grinned and snickered to herself at his overreaction. 'Thanks, I appreciate it. Though I think I'm not the only one who needs it.' She said as she looked in the direction of the slime covered arachne.

Rachnera was able to stand up while Suu was distracted talking to Papi. 'Yeah, Honey. Would you mind getting my clothes washed too?' She asked, trying to shake off some of the excess slime off herself.

'Sure, no problem. You two just leave your clothes in the laundry basket and I'll sort it out in a bit.'

'Thanks a bunch, Kurusu-kun.' Blare said giving him a teasing wink. 'Oh, by the way, where is the bathroom?'

'Follow me, Puppy.' Rachnera replied as she skittered off. ''There's one down here.''

'Ok. Thanks Spidey.' Blare responded as caught up with the arachne. 'See you in a bit, Stud!' She yelled at Yuuto waving at him. 'And no peeking!'

'Like I would!' The blonde agent retorted, his face flushed red with embarrassment.

After Blare and Rachnera disappeared, Yuuto turned to Kimihito and hung his head as he let out a sigh.

''I guess you've got it rough too.'' Kimihito said as he rubbed the back of his head.

''I'm guessing it's not as bad as you have it.'' Yuuto replied as he recomposed himself.

''Anyway, do you want a drink while you're here?'' Kimihito asked as he gestured towards the living room.

''Sure. Might as well while I'm waiting for Blare to clean up.'' Yuuto replied as he followed Kimihito in, with Papi and Suu in tow.

As they entered the living room, Yuuto saw a lamia sitting on the end of the couch, and a mermaid in a wheelchair next to her. The lamia had long red hair with yellow D-shaped hair clips on each side of her head, amber eyes with slit pupils, as well as long red scaly ears and red scales on her cheeks, and a long red serpentine tail with a pink underbelly. She was wearing a red, knitted sleeveless sweater and a blue, short denim skirt. The mermaid had long pink hair with long curled bangs and a lengthy fringe, light blue eyes that sparkled like the ocean, as well as pink fin-like ears, webbed hands, and a pink fish-like tail. She was wearing some sort of Gothic Lolita maid outfit, which Yuuto found odd, seeing he knew the girl was a princess of the merfolk kingdom. The lamia got up from her seat slithered towards the group as the mermaid turned her wheelchair around to face them.

'Miia. Mero.' Kimihito spoke as he was about to introduce his friend. ''This is Yuuto Kazama from the Interspecies Cultural Exchange. He's also an old friend from school.''

Miia was the first to speak up. ''Hi, I'm Miia! It's so nice to meet a friend of Darling's!'' She exclaimed with a grin on her face as she extended a hand in greeting. 'I hope we get along!'

'Good to meet you, Miia.' Yuuto replied as he shook excitable lamia's outstretched hand.

As they released each other, Mero introduced herself next. 'Greetings, Sir. I am Meroune Lorelei Du Neptune.' She said as she did a curtsey as best she could from her wheelchair. 'But please, call me Mero.' She continued with a smile on her face.

'Try saying that five times fast.' Yuuto replied jokingly, which caused poor Mero to give him a look of confusion. Upon seeing her reaction, he continued as he crouched to meet her at eye level. ''Just joking, it's good to meet you, Mero.'' He said as he extended his hand for a handshake.

'Oh, but the pleasure is mine, Sir.' Mero said as she shook his hand.

'Yuuto, do you have tea or coffee?' Kimihito asked as Yuuto stood back up.

'Coffee, milk and two sugars, please.' He replied.

'Sure. Papi, can you and Suu go find Lala please?' Kimihito asked the harpy as he made his way to the kitchen. 'Tell her we have guests.'

'Sure thing, Boss!' Papi replied as she made her way upstairs with the slime girl in tow. With that, Miia and Mero returned to their respective seats.

Once in the kitchen, Kimihito spoke up again. ''Cerea, you can go meet our guest, I'll finish prepping your salad for you.''

'As you wish, Milord.' The voice of a young woman replied.

After a moment, a centaur woman trotted out of the kitchen, into the living room. She had long, golden blonde hair tied back into a ponytail, and blue eyes, as well as long ears covered in light brown fur, four hoofed legs with the same coloured fur, and a long horse's tail that was golden blonde like her hair. She was wearing a white button up sleeveless blouse with a red bow around her collar, as well a large black skirt that covered the entirety of her hind quarters.

'Welcome, I am Centorea Shianus, scion of the proud centaur race, and protector of the Kurusu household.' The girl introduced herself. 'Pray, forgive me for not introducing myself sooner.'

Yuuto noticed immediately that Centorea acted very prim and proper, and spoke in a very archaic manner. With that in mind he introduced himself. ''No need to worry, Centorea. I'm Yuuto Kazama. It's an honour to meet you.' He said as he extended his hand once more.

Centorea took his hand and shook it. 'Thou art too kind, Kazama-san. Verily, I am still but a fledgling knight who has pledged her loyalty to my master.'

As they let go of one another, Yuuto continued. 'I take it you are quite fond of Kurusu then?' He asked.

Her face flushed bright red at his question. 'Balderdash!' She exclaimed in protest. 'I am merely a servant that wishes to do right by him for letting someone like myself stay here!' She continued as her tail swished from side to side nervously.

'The lady doth protest too much, methinks.' Yuuto replied teasingly in a similarly archaic manner.

She broke eye contact at his remark. 'Mayhap, but still…' Centorea trailed of as Kimihito returned from the kitchen with a salad bowl and a cup of coffee.

''Cerea, here's your salad.'' Kimihito said with a smile on his face, which caused Centorea to flinch at his sudden arrival. She turned to him so she could receive the salad bowl.

'Thank you, Milord.' She replied, her cheeks still flushed crimson. She returned to the kitchen and sat next to the table as she began to dig into her leafy snack.

''And here's your coffee.'' He continued as he handed the mug to Yuuto.

'Thanks, Kimihito.' Yuuto replied before taking a sip. 'Still as good as ever.' He said with a sigh of satisfaction.

The pair of humans looked towards the group of liminals near the couch. It seemed that Papi and Suu returned from their quest to find Lala empty handed, and was now playing Mario Kart with Miia and Mero. The girls were really getting into it, especially Miia, who was swishing her tail from side to side in sync with steering her character on screen. It was a surprise she hadn't knocked anything, or anyone, over yet.

'Papi, did you and Suu find Lala?' Kimihito asked the preoccupied harpy.

''Yeah, she said she'd be down in a sec.'' She replied unenthusiastically, focusing on trying to win the race. 'Said something about maintaining eggs, quills, lid, and brooms.'

'Equilibrium.' Suu corrected her harpy friend.

'Yeah, that!' Papi replied excitedly.

'Sounds like a certain someone I remember from middle school.' Yuuto said teasingly as he elbowed Kimihito in the side of his chest.

'Cut it out! It was just a phase!' Kimihito yelled in protest.

Yuuto had a mock puzzled look on his face as if trying to remember something, which he did to wind Kimihito up. 'What was that one line you loved to use again? Oh, yeah. It was something like…' He said before he was cut off by the voice of a girl behind them.

''Ye call upon the Harbinger o' Death?''

The girl announced herself from out of nowhere, which startled Yuuto and Kimihito. They turned to see a blue-skinned girl, who had long white hair with a cow lick that stuck out from her fringe, and her eyes had golden irises with black sclera. She was wearing a black robe with a huge cropped collar, a white dress with a short skirt underneath, a black scarf around her neck, and a pair of black thigh-high stockings. She was also wearing black armour with gold trimmings, which consisted of a pair of gauntlets, boots, and a waist guard. She also wielded a large black scythe with a large circular notch near where the blade was attached to the shaft of the weapon. She currently had a blank expression on her face as she stood there imposingly.

Yuuto calmed himself as he continued. ''Well, I was going to say 'Cower before the Unholy Chosen!' but that was pretty good too.''

'Hey, Lala.' Kimihito replied, seemingly trying to recover from a heart attack. ''I wish you wouldn't sneak up on people like that.''

''A knight o' darkness must remain in the shadows tae carry out our purpose.' The 'Chuunihan' continued, striking a dramatic pose. ''What reason do ye call upon a spectre o' Death?'' Lala looked towards Yuuto, and saw him staring wide-eyed at her. In an instant, her own eyes widened in recollection. With that, she turned to face him with a hand over her face, but allowed one eye to look through between her thump and finger. ''It seems that the threads o' fate have reunited us, Kazama.'' Yuuto noticed that Lala smiled and her cheeks went red while saying this.

'Holy crap, it is you.' Yuuto muttered to himself in disbelief.

'Yuuto?' Kimihito interjected. 'Do you know Lala?' He asked with a look of bewilderment on his face. He wasn't the only one, as the other girls looked towards the group in confusion and curiosity.

'Know her?' He replied. He paused for a moment before continuing. 'Hell, she saved my life.'

* * *

A/N: And that's another chapter down, and yet another cliffhanger. I hope everyone still enjoys reading this, and thanks the everyone who's followed and favourited this story, as well as left reviews and suggestions. As a side note, I'm from the UK, so the spelling I use reflects that. Once again, thanks for reading.


	8. A chance meeting

Edited 27/6/17: Correcting spelling and grammar errors. Also, Linimal should be Liminal, only just realised this after 11 chapters, oops.

* * *

 _7 years ago…_

 _Not long after the end of school, two boys, both sixteen years of age, were making their way back home. It was only a few weeks before summer break, and the pair were chatting about anything that came to mind._

' _So, have asked out Suzuki from 2-C yet?' The blonde boy asked his classmate teasingly._

'' _It's not like that, Yuuto! Just because we're both in the cooking club doesn't mean I feel that way about her!'' The other boy with messy black hair protested as his friend laughed at his reaction._

'' _Okay, so she's not your type. How about Mori?''_

' _No!'_

' _Nakano?'_

' _No!'_

' _Then who is your type, Kimihito?' Yuuto continued as he calmed himself down._

'' _I don't know.'' Kimihito replied as he calmed down too. ''I didn't join the club to find a girlfriend.''_

'' _How could you not? You're the only guy in the club. It's like your personal harem.'' Yuuto continued to tease his friend._

'' _Like I'd want a harem!'' Kimihito shouted in annoyance as Yuuto started to laugh again._

 _The pair were still in their school uniforms, Kimihito was wearing a white short sleeved button-up shirt, brown trousers, and a black tie, as well as a typical pair of school shoes. Yuuto was wearing similar attire, except that he wore a pair of white trainers, and had his shirt unbuttoned with a red t-shirt underneath, and his tie was missing. They were both carrying their school bags, but Yuuto was also carrying a long, slender, carrier bag over his right shoulder, that contained a bamboo kendo stick. They stopped on a bridge that went over one of the local waterways in the city as the continued their conversation._

'' _Fine, fine. There must be someone you like though.'' Yuuto said as he rested his arms against the railing of the bridge._

'' _Honestly, there's no one in particular, and I'd rather focus on my studies right now. You know what my dad's like.'' Kimihito complained as he did the same._

'' _Yeah, 'Captain Killjoy' right?''_

'' _He just wants me to succeed career-wise, that's all.'' Kimihito said unconvincingly._

'' _Well, you could really use the distraction, especially with summer break coming up.'' Yuuto replied trying to cheer his classmate up. ''I'm sure Ikeda from our class would love to hang out with us and Kyouka.''_

'' _I don't know if I'm comfortable with going on a double date.'' Kimihito said dejectedly._

' _So, you like Ikeda that much, huh?' Yuuto teased again._

' _Well, I mean,'_

' _SOMEONE, HELP!'_

 _The pair were suddenly interrupted when they heard a scream from under the bridge. They saw a young boy with black hair being taken by the currents below, with his brown-haired friend running after him from the embankment._

'' _PLEASE! ANYONE! MY FRIEND'S GONNA DROWN!'_

' _Kimihito, take these.' Yuuto said in a serious tone as he handed him his school bag and kendo stick. He then stepped up onto the railings as quickly as he could._

' _Wait, what are you- '_

 _Kimihito couldn't finish his sentence before the blonde boy jumped from the bridge, into the waterway._

' _Yuuto!'_

 _He hit the water hard, and it hurt like hell, but he was more focused on saving the young boy that was some distance in front of him. He began to swim as fast and as best he could in the currents, the boy in front of him barely able to keep his head above water. Yuuto continued to swim with all his might until he caught up with him and grabbed hold of the child._

'' _It's okay, Kid. You're going to be okay.'' He tried to reassure the boy who was gasping air._

'' _BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU?! YOU'RE STUCK HERE WITH ME!'' The boy panicked as he struggled to keep afloat._

'' _Don't worry, this is nothing. I'll get us out in no time.'' Yuuto replied as he started to make his way to the embankment with the boy in tow. On the embankment, Kimihito and the other young boy were running to keep up with the pair riding the current. Yuuto was surprised that his friend could keep up with them while carrying both their school bags and his kendo stick. Ahead of them, Yuuto noticed a dead branch that was sticking out of the waterway, onto the embankment._

'' _Looks like we've got our way out, Kid.'' Yuuto said confidently as he made his way towards it. With the young boy in his left arm, He grabbed the branch with his right hand, and started pulling them towards the shoreline as Kimihito dropped the bags and made his way to the pair._

' _Yuuto! Are you okay?!' He yelled to his friend in panic as he reached them._

'' _I'm good, just take him from me.'' Yuuto said calmly as he pushed the boy in front of him towards his friend._

 _Kimihito knelt to the ground and grabbed the hand of the black-haired boy and pulled him out of the waterway. The young boy was on his hands and knees, coughing, as the brown-haired boy made his way to the group. Yuuto was making his way to the shoreline on the branch, until suddenly, it snapped. He was swept away by the current again as Kimihito and the boys looked on helplessly._

' _YUUTO!'_

 _That was the last thing he heard before he was dragged under by the current, and before he knew it, his head collided with something hard, and blacked out._

* * *

 _When Yuuto regained consciousness, he found himself laying down on the ground. He saw the wide blue sky, and as he looked around, he saw that he was in a field full of flowers on many different colours, with a river cutting through the field._

' _Where am I?' Yuuto asked no one in particular, trying to come to his senses._

'' _Ye be on the cusp o' life and death, Mortal.''_

 _Yuuto looked up to see who the voice belonged to. He saw a girl with long, white hair that reached her lower back, blue skin, and golden eyes with black sclera. He then only just noticed that his head way laying on her lap. Yuuto jumped up in a panic at the sight of the strange girl and sat up straight across from her. She was wearing a white sleeveless dress with a turtleneck collar, as well as a pair of white thigh-high stockings._

' _Ok, this has got to be a dream.' He muttered to himself._

'' _Believe what ye will, it does nay change the fact that ye are here now.'' She replied flatly._

 _Yuuto pondered for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on._

' _Who are you exactly?' He asked calmly._

'' _I am a knight o' death, a guide for lost souls, though ye would better know me as a dullahan.'' The girl said in an overly dramatic manner as she placed a hand over her face._

' _I thought that dullahans were headless.' He replied with a look of confusion._

' _Do ye not believe me, Mortal? Very well.'_

 _With that, she placed her hands on either side of her head, and lifted it from her shoulders. Yuuto's eyes went wide with surprise at how easily she removed her head. Satisfied, the girl placed her head back where it was with a smile on her face._

' _Okay.' He replied as he recomposed himself. 'Do you have a name?'_

' _My name is o' little importance, I exist only to ferry souls to the afterlife.' She said drearily, the smile disappearing from her face._

 _Yuuto frowned at that statement. 'It must be a lonely existence.' He said in a very sad tone._

' _It does nay matter. I do what I must, and I am content with that.' The girl continued, her eyes never breaking their gaze from his._

 _The pair sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity as a breeze passed over the field, rustling flowers and sending petals flying in the wind. After a moment, Yuuto stood up and walked over to the blue-skinned dullahan. Once by her, he crouched down and placed a hand on her shoulder. The girls flinched at his action, and looked away in embarrassment, her cheeks red._

'' _W-w-w-what is the meaning o' this?! Ye d-d-dare to touch an agent o' death?!'' She stuttered in a panic, seemingly losing the gravitas befitting a reaper of souls._

 _Yuuto started laughing at the hilariously adorable sight in front of him. As he calmed down, he spoke. 'You remind me of what my friend was like back in middle school. He was a major Chuunibyou too.' He said with a massive grin on his face._

' _P-p-p-preposterous!' The dullahan exclaimed with her eyebrows furrowed as she stood to her feet, but she stood up so quickly, that her head fell from her shoulders. Her eyes widened in shock as her head race towards the ground. In an instant, she found herself in the young man's hands. She looked up to see a smile on his face, his hands on her cheeks. He stood up as he lifted her head and turned her to face him._

' _That was close.' Yuuto said with a sincere smile._

 _Before he could continue, he was tackled from the front by the girl's body, sending the pair tumbling to the ground. Yuuto landed on his back while her head landed next to him and her body holding him in an embrace on top. The girl's face flushed an even brighter shade of red as she looked away in embarrassment of her body's actions towards the human, while Yuuto's own cheeks went red at the embarrassing position he found himself in. He sat up as the dullahan's body still held her arms tight around his chest while she knelt between his legs._

'' _I guess your body doesn't lie.'' He said jokingly as he rubbed the back of his head._

' _M-m-my body sometimes acts on its own will, w-which I have no control over.' The girl barely stuttered in embarrassment._

' _Sure, it does.' He replied teasingly as the dullahan's body loosened her grip on him and rested her arms on his chest. He then turned his attention back to her body. ''I bet you're enjoying this, aren't you?'' It felt strange for him to talk to a headless body, but it responded by sitting up, removing the pressure of her breasts on his chest, and giving him a thumbs-up._

' _Mortal, may I request yer assistance? I require ye to return me head to its rightful place.' The girl asked flatly, finally calming herself down after the moment of embarrassment._

' _Oh, sure.'_

 _He lay back down so he could reach her head, he grabbed it and lifted it as he sat up straight. Her body was waiting with her arms outstretched to receive her cranium, and he place her head in her hands. The girl's body then placed her head back on her shoulders, her face still flushed red._

'' _Never in all me time as a reaper o' souls have I ever met such a brazen spirit.'' The dullahan stated, a look of bewilderment on her face._

'' _I take it you're more used to ferrying the souls of the elderly?'' Yuuto joked with a smile on his face._

' _Mayhaps, Mortal. Ye be a youth still.'_

' _Yuuto Kazama.'_

' _Beg yer pardon?' The girl asked, surprised at his sudden interjection._

 _Yuuto stood up to his feel and extended a hand to the dullahan. ''My name is Yuuto Kazama, I'm starting to get tired of being called 'Mortal'.'' He said plainly._

 _The girl stared at him for a moment, before a smile crossed her face, and she took his hand. Yuuto lifted her to her feet, careful as to not let her head fall from her shoulders again._

' _Very well, Kazama.' She replied, still smiling at him._

'' _Okay, just in case this isn't a dream, I should ask. I'm I dead?'' Yuuto said with a hint of concern in his voice._

' _Not quite.' She said as she made her way to the river's edge. 'It seems yer soul still has a strong connection to the mortal coil.'_

'' _I'll take that as a no then.'' He replied as he followed her._

 _As the pair reached the embankment of the river, the girl stopped and turned to face him once more. ''Ye may nay be aware of it, but I sense that you are nay like other mortals. It seems that ye possess a power beyond human comprehension, a power to push aside death. I canna reap a soul that is still bound to the realm o' the living.''_

 _Yuuto wasn't sure what this 'power' the dullahan was talking about, but if he wasn't dead, that's all that mattered. ''Okay, so I'm not dead. How do I get back though?'' He asked, visibly concerned._

 _The girl walked into the river until it reached just below her knees, she turned back to Yuuto and held her hands out towards him, a smile forming on her face once more. ''I am a guide for lost souls. It may be my purpose to guide souls o' the dead to the afterlife, but it is within me power to guide them back to the realm o' the living, if the bond is strong enough. If ye be ready to return, then take me hands.''_

 _Yuuto hesitated for a moment, but soon after, he stepped into the river and held the girl's outstretched hands. As soon as he grabbed the girl's hands, several beams of light shot out from the river around him. As he looked around in confusion, the dullahan spoke once more._

' _Fare thee well, Kazama. May ye live a long and fruitful life, and mayhap we shall cross paths again one day.' She said as her face flushed red._

' _Wait! I still have more to ask you!' Yuuto exclaimed as his vision was blinded by the bright lights around him._

' _Ye will know more when the time comes.' That was the last thing Yuuto heard before her voice faded from into the distance, and he was forced to close his eyes from the blinding light._

* * *

 _When he could open his eyes again, he found himself lying on the embankment next to the waterway, his clothes soaked and coughing up water from his lungs. He could see the buildings surrounding them, a bridge crossing over the waterway, and as he looked around, he saw a paramedic knelt next to him. She had hazel eyes and brown hair tied into a short ponytail._

' _You okay there?' She asked out of concern._

' _Yeah, at least I think so.' He replied, before he winced in pain from the throbbing from his forehead. He raised his right hand to where it hurt until the woman grabbed his wrist._

' _Careful, you took a nasty gash to your head. Can you sit up?'_

 _Yuuto nodded to her, before he sat himself up as he felt blood trickle down the side of his face. He looked behind the paramedic and found Kimihito, as well as the two young boys from earlier, standing there in shock. Meanwhile, a male paramedic with brown eyes and short black hair, came running past the group and knelt to the other side of him._

'' _Thank goodness, you're awake. You're lucky to be alive.' He said with worry as he pulled out a roll of bandage cloth from his bag._

' _What happened?' Yuuto asked, his voice hoarse._

' _Your friend called for us and said you were drowning. We got here as fast as we could, but by the time we arrived, we found you lying where you are now, and your friend and the two boys panicking around you. I was about to resuscitate you myself, but you were already coughing up water by the time I got to you, like you just sprang back to life.' The woman said as the man was wrapping the bandage around his head._

' _Was that a dream?' Yuuto thought to himself, recalling the meeting he had with the dullahan. 'It had to be.' He continued to ponder as the man finished tying the bandage to his head._

' _Yuuto!' Kimihito exclaimed as he made his way to his friend and knelt in front of him. 'How are you feeling?' He asked with worry all over his face._

 _Yuuto noticed that Kimihito's clothes were soaked as well. 'Did you dive in to save me?' He asked._

'' _Couldn't let you drown now, plus Kyouka would kill me if I didn't.'' Kimihito replied nervously as he rubbed the back of his head._

' _Thanks man, I owe you one.' He replied as he grinned at him. He then looked towards the female paramedic. 'And thank you, miss...'_

' _Suzu Tamura. And the man next to you is Kenji Saito.' She replied as she gestured towards her partner._

' _We should get you boys into some dry clothes before you get hypothermia.' Kenji stated plainly. 'Can you stand?'_

 _Yuuto nodded again before standing to his feet. Just then, the two young boys rushed to him._

' _Thanks for saving me, Mister.' The boy with the black hair said before bowing to him._

' _Yeah, thanks a bunch.' His brown-haired friend said as he did the same._

' _No worries. Just doing what anyone would do.' Yuuto replied with a smile on his face._

' _We should get you to the hospital as soon as possible.' Suzu spoke up to get his attention. ''You're going to need stitches for that gash.''_

 _With that, the group made their way to the ambulance. Just before Yuuto got into the vehicle, he caught something from the corner of his eye. He saw a black figure turn the corner of the street, looking like it had some long pole attached to their back. Before he could do a double-take of the figure, he was ushered into the vehicle with Kimihito and the boys. Once the doors were shut, and the paramedics in the front of the vehicle, it drove off towards the nearest hospital, sirens blaring._

* * *

Present day…

'Yuuto. You okay there, Yuuto?'

The blonde MON agent was pulled from his thought as he was snapped back into reality. He saw Kimihito and Lala standing in front on him, their faces filled with concern.

'Yeah, sorry about that.' He replied with a smile on his face, trying to reassure the pair.

The other girls looked on in concern, but as Yuuto spoke up again, their worries were alleviated, they returned to what they were doing.

'What was that about?' Kimihito asked, still worried about his friend.

'Oh, just thinking back to the time I saved that kid from drowning.'

'Yeah, and you nearly drowned yourself in the process, if I remember correctly.'

Yuuto just rubbed the back of his head nervously at his statement. ''Well, it didn't go exactly to plan, I'll admit, but no one died at least.''

Kimihito then turned to face the dullahan next to him. 'I suppose you had something to do with it, Lala?' He asked to girl, slowly putting the pieces together.

''As I said before, I am merely a guide for lost souls. I canna choose whether someone lives or dies, I can only guide them to their rightful place.'' Lala replied as her scythe dissipated into thin air.

''Well your guidance is the reason I'm here today.'' Yuuto interjected as he put a hand on her shoulder. 'I never got chance to say it, but thank you.' He continued as a sincere smile formed on his face.

Lala's eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed crimson at the gesture as a smile crept onto her face. 'I only be fulfilling my purpose, Kazama.' In a move that surprised everyone, she wrapped her arms around Yuuto's chest, and pulled him into a hug, resting her head against his chest. 'But I am glad to see ye doing well.' She continued as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. All Yuuto could do was stand there, his eyes widened and his cheeks flushed red at the sudden affection he received from the girl.

Unbeknownst to the pair, Blare and Rachnera came into the living room, in a fresh change of clothes. Blare was wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of grey shorts that seemed to belong to Kimihito, while Rachnera was wearing a grey sweater and a black skirt over her pedipalps. As Blare spotted the pair in the middle of their one-sided embrace, she couldn't help but tease them.

'Having fun with your girlfriend, Stud?' She said in a sultry voice.

Yuuto flinched at Blare's sudden appearance, and Lala's eyes shot open as she realised what she was doing. She suddenly pulled away from the embrace, but in doing so, her head fell from her shoulders, towards Yuuto. Thankfully, he was quick enough to react, and caught her head with his free hand. Lala looked up at him in awe as he sighed in relief.

'That was way too close.' He said, calming himself down. 'You okay there, Lala?' He asked, looking down at the girl's head he was holding.

Lala looked away from Yuuto in embarrassment as her body hurriedly stepped forward to retrieve her head. She then placed her head back on her shoulders before she replied. ''I-I-I am well. A knight o' death is nay so easily harmed.'' She stated as she struck one of her dramatic poses, though it wasn't as impactful as she hoped, seeing that her cheeks were still flushed red and she was avoiding eye contact with him.

''Well, that's good to hear.'' Yuuto replied before taking another sip of his coffee. He then turned his attention to Blare. 'Was that really necessary?' He asked his co-worker with an annoyed look on his face.

''Aww c'mon, Stud. I was just having some fun.'' She said with a massive grin on her face.

'Okay. Anyway, we should get started on these one-on-one chats with the homestays.' He took the file that Blare had and skimmed through it. 'Alright, we might as well go in order that the girls joined the household, so let's start with- '

'NOOOOOOOO!'

He was interrupted by Miia's yelling. He saw that she was hunched over in defeat as Papi and Suu were high-fiving each other.

'Nice going, Suu!' The little harpy exclaimed as the slime girl raised her arms in victory.

'Congratulations, Suu. That was indeed an excellent use of the blue shell.' Mero commented with a smile on her face.

''C'mon! I was practically at the finish line, and now I'm in last place?!'' Miia complained in frustration at losing the race at the last second to the adorable slime girl sitting next to her.

'Miia.' Yuuto spoke up to get the lamia's attention. ''If you're finished, can you come into the kitchen with me? I just want to check to see how you're adapting to human society.'' He continued as he made his way to the kitchen table, with Blare in tow.

'Sure thing, Kazama-kun!' Miia exclaimed as got up from her seat and slithered her way towards the kitchen, her mood doing a 180 from frustration to excitement.

* * *

Throughout the visit, Yuuto and Blare talked to each of the girls about their time in Japan, and more specifically, their time living at the Kurusu residence, and how they were handling their new lifestyle. They all seemed to be easing into it quite nicely, though there were still a few bad habits that the girls couldn't shake, like Miia's over-possessiveness regarding Kimihito, Suu's tendency to grope the other girls when she's dehydrated, and Rachnera's habit of tying people up in her webs. Yuuto was surprised at how well Kimihito was handling things, despite the chaotic nature of the household, but if he wasn't complaining, Yuuto saw no reason to disturb the peace. He did want to have a one-on-one with his old friend before he would be satisfied with the situation, just to make sure. It was now just the two of them in the kitchen, as the girls were busy watching TV, and Blare had gone to get changed back into her now clean work clothes.

'Are you really okay with things as they are?' Yuuto asked in concern.

'I guess.' He replied flatly with a blank look on his face. 'Why do you ask?'

''Well, think about it. You say you never applied for the exchange program, and Smith, from out of nowhere, dropped Miia onto you without your consent. She then continued to force more homestays onto you, even though hosting one liminal is a challenge it itself, and then tell you to marry one of them, just for an experiment of hers. Despite having to care for seven girls, one of which isn't even registered on the program, you continued to look after them, despite nearly dying more times than you can remember. Honestly, if you were anyone else, you would've either filed a lawsuit against the exchange program, or you would already be dead by now. So, I got to ask, why are you still doing this?'' Yuuto was genuinely perplexed as to why someone would willingly put themselves through so much bullshit.

Kimihito was left speechless at Yuuto's astute observation of his current situation, and he could tell that his friend was visibly annoyed by how Ms Smith was taking advantage of someone so kind-hearted. After a moment, Kimihito smiled as he turned his gaze towards his homestays.

''I'm doing it for them.'' He replied as Yuuto also looked towards the group.

They saw that the girls were happily chatting with each other. No fighting, no bickering, just peaceful idle chat. It was obvious that they were all happy here, despite the feuds they've had in the past, and from the talks that Yuuto had with each of them, it was obvious that they all cared deeply for Kimihito. The only possible exception was Lala, saying that she was merely intrigued by how a 'mortal' could survive so many near-death experiences, but she did say that she enjoyed living here.

Kimihito continued. ''It wouldn't be fair to pass any of them on to anyone else, just for my own selfish reasons, plus I couldn't bear to part with any of them.''

''You're a crazy man, Kimihito, but then again, you always have been.'' Yuuto stated with a grin on his face. 'Though there is one more thing I wanted to ask.'

'What is it?' He replied flatly.

'Who are you going to marry?' Yuuto whispered as to avoid getting the attention of the girls in the other room.

Kimihito's eyes widened at his friend rather forward question. 'Not you to…' He replied drearily.

''Oh, c'mon. I won't tell Smith if that's what's bothering you.''

''That's not the problem.''

'Then what is it?'

Kimihito looked away as his cheeks flushed red. ''I can't decide.''

''This isn't something you can be indecisive about. I know they're all great in their own way, but this harem situation can't last forever you know.'' Yuuto replied lecturing his friend. 'Seriously, if you had to pick one of them right now, who would it be?'

Kimihito pondered for a moment as his eyes shifted nervously from side to side. After a moment, he replied. 'If I had to pick one of them right now, I would say,'

Their conversation was interrupted as Yuuto phone went off. 'Excuse me for a sec.' He said as he whipped out his phone, and Kimihito let out a sigh of relief. Yuuto checked the caller I.D. and saw it was from Zombina. He then answered the call.

''Yuuto here, what's up, Zee?''

''Beesh! We've got a situation here!'' Zombina yelled over the phone, almost loud enough for Kimihito to hear. ''It's Scorpia, she's gone ballistic! We need you and Blare here now!''

''I'll be right there. Hold tight.'' He replied calmly.

''Will do, I'll text you the address.'' She replied before hanging up.

'Sorry Kimihito, but I got to go.' Yuuto said as he got out of his chair.

'Is everything alright?' Kimihito asked with worry in his voice.

'Just another day on the job.' He replied as he walked out the room.

As he entered the living room, he found that Blare was waiting in there for him with the girls.

''What's up, Stud?'' She asked with her ears twitching.

'Zombina and Tio need back up. We need to get going.'

Blare's ears perked up as her flame lashes ignited. 'Sure thing.' She replied as she followed him into the hallway.

''We'll see you guys later, just got an urgent call from work.'' Yuuto stated as he made his way to the front door.

''Alright, feel free to come down anytime.'' Kimihito said with a smile as the girls said their goodbyes to the two MON agents.

As the pair left the house, the started running towards the SUV.

''What's the situation?'' Blare asked in a serious tone.

'Angered girtablilu. We need to rendezvous with Zombina at the Sato residence.' Yuuto replied as he unlocked the car with the key fob.

They opened the doors and practically jumped into their seats and buckled their seat belts. Yuuto's phone vibrated as he received a text with the area code for the Sato residence. He passed his phone to Blare so she could operate the sat-nav as he placed a siren on top of the SUV and turned it on. With everything set, he drove off with the siren blazing as they made their way to help Zombina and Tio. There's never a dull moment working for MON.

* * *

A/N: That's another long chapter down, but hopefully the flashback segment was worth the effort. As always, hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of MON - Squad Bravo, feel free to follow and favourite, make reviews, and make any suggestions for the story, and finally thank you so much for reading.


	9. Enter the Shinobi

A/N: Sorry about the slight delay everyone. I was struggling with what to write for this chapter, but I feel happy with it as it is now. Anyway, hope you all enjoy the latest installment of MON - Squad Bravo.

Edited 27/6/17: Correcting spelling and grammar errors. Also, Linimal should be Liminal, only just realised this after 11 chapters, oops.

* * *

Yuuto and Blare had finally arrived at the Sato residence. Thankfully, it only took them five minutes the get to their destination. As the pair parked up and turned off the siren, they found a typical suburban home near the edge of a small woodland, though the home itself looked like it was recently renovated to help accommodate larger liminals. Waiting outside was a young man, who looked no older than sixteen, with black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a plain green t-shirt with a pair of blue jeans and white trainers. Yuuto and Blare got out of the SUV and made their way to the teen waiting for them.

'Are you guys with MON?' He teenager questioned with a look of worry on his face.

'Yeah, we are.' Yuuto replied calmly as Blare caught up with him. 'Are your parents with you?'

''No, it's just me. They're away on a business trip right now. I'm registered as Scorpia's main host, Hideki Sato.'' The boy explained to the pair with a subdued look on his face.

''Okay, good. Do you know what's happening with Scorpia that would cause her to act out like this?'' Yuuto thought it would be best to get to the bottom of the situation before trying to deal with the agitated girtablilu. He would rather find a way of calming the girl down before she did something to jeopardize her place in the exchange program.

'It might be my fault.' Hideki started to explain as he broke eye contact with the MON agent, feeling ashamed of himself. ''It started a couple weeks back, just a few days before school broke up for summer break. Part of Scorpia's terms for her exchange was to attend school with me. She's only one of a few linimals attending our school right now, so she had trouble fitting in at first.''

''That's bound to get anyone anxious.'' Blare interjected with a sad look on her face, knowing the feeling all too well.

''Anyway, it didn't take too long for people in school to adjust to her, and she made friends pretty quickly. But since just before we broke up, she's been acting nervous around me, and every time I checked to see if she was okay, she'd act coldly towards me and say she was fine. I don't know what's gotten into her.'' The boy continued, feeling depressed that he can't seem to help her.

'Wait, hold up, Sato-kun.' Blare butted in again. 'How did she act around you before?'

'Well, when she first moved in, she was quite reserved, but after a while, she opened up to me. She even started to get protective around me, even clingy sometimes.' Hideki stated, seeming unaware of how the girl felt about him.

''Wow, Kid. You really are slow on the uptake, aren't you?'' Yuuto interrupted, sounding somewhat annoyed.

'Huh?'

''Don't you see? It's plain as day that she likes you, a lot.'' Blare replied matter-of-factly.

'Wait, what?! She likes me?!' Hideki exclaimed, sounding quite surprised that this could be a possibility.

'We can deal with love advise later, what happened earlier?' Yuuto replied, trying to get things back on track.

''Well, she was fine, until I brought up my friend, Miura-chan. We were meant to meet up with her later, but Scorpia got angry with me, saying that I wouldn't stop talking about her. I wasn't sure if I could handle her by myself, so I called the Interspecies Cultural Exchange. Miss Zombina and Miss Tio showed up, but it only made things worse. Scorpia ran off into the woods saying she wanted to be left alone.''

'Sounds like the type of girl that gets jealous easily.' Blare stated with a worried look on her face.

'Alright.' Yuuto replied before returning his attention to Hideki. 'Where did she go?'

'Through the back garden. Follow me.' The boy replied, inviting them into the house though the broken doorway.

As the group walked through the house, Yuuto and Blare saw that the living room had seen better days. Several picture frames, as well as the TV had been knocked over and damaged, and the couch had a large gash along the back rest.

'What happened in here?' Blare asked, though she probably already knew the answer to her question.

''Scorpia and I were in here when she got angry with me, and she took it out on the room itself. Miss Zombina and Miss Tio must've presumed that I was in danger, so they broke down the front door and rushed in. That was when Scorpia ran out into the back garden, and into the woods right after, and they chased after her about five minutes ago. I really hope that they're all okay…'' Hideki trailed off, possibly thinking about the worst-case scenario.

''They'll be fine.'' Yuuto replied confidently. ''Zombina and Tio are professionals. They'll make sure not to hurt Scorpia if it can be avoided.''

'Right…' Hideki replied, now looking more visibly worried.

The group made their way to the back garden as quickly as they could. The garden itself had a wooden patio that lead from the house, while the rest was a long stretch of grass with shrubbery and flowers lining either side. At the farthest end on the garden, the fence had been broken through, presumably by Scorpia.

'Alright, Hideki. You stay here just in case Scorpia comes back. Blare and I will go and rendezvous with Zombina and Tio.' Yuuto was quick to make a plan-of-action, but he could only plan for so much seeing that he hasn't dealt with a girtablilu before.

'What about me, Stud?' Blare asked as her tail stood on end and her flame lashes lit up.

'Stick with me until we know more.'

'Roger.'

With that, the pair started making their way towards the woods, though they hardly made any distance when they heard a scream in the distance.

'AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!'

Suddenly flying out of the tree line, was Zombina soaring mid-air towards them, wearing her yellow and black body suit. Blare was able to dodge to the side quickly, but Yuuto was not as fortunate. The zombie landed smack bang on top of the poor human with a loud thud. Zombina quickly regained consciousness as she found herself laying on top of her friend, with his face buried between her breasts.

'Thanks for the catch, Beesh.' She said with a massive grin on her face.

'Mmmmppphhh…' Yuuto groaned, still dazed by the impact and struggling to breath.

'Holy crap! Are you guys okay?!' Blare exclaimed with worry.

Yuuto raised his right arm up and gave her a thumps-up in response as Zombina rolled off of him.

''I wouldn't worry, Blare.'' The red-head replied as she got up onto her feet, brushing herself off. ''He's pretty tough for a human.''

Yuuto sat himself up as he rubbed the back of his head. 'Zee, do you always have to make such a big entrance?' As he said that, Zombina had stretched out her hand to him to help him up, which he took.

'Would you expect anything else from me?' She replied as she pulled Yuuto to his feet and winked at him.

'Probably not. Anyway, what happened to you?'

''Scorpia. Her stinger definitely packs a punch, think she might've broke a few ribs.'' Zombina explained, not looking forward to the lecture she'll be getting from Suzu later. She then turned to the still worried Blare. 'Blare, you go on ahead and help Tio out, and try not to hurt Scorpia if you can.'

'Sure thing, Zombina.'

With that, Blare raced off into the woods as fast as she could to help Tio deal with Scorpia. Yuuto was surprised that the hellhound could move so fast.

'You got a tranquiliser gun on you, Beesh?'

'Never leave home without it.' Yuuto replied as he pulled the weapon from its holster.

'Awesome.' Zombina said with a smirk. She then turned to Hideki. 'Kid, I know you wanna help, but for the love of God, stay here. Things are gonna get hairy.' She told the teenager with a stern look on her face.

'Okay…' The boy replied dejectedly. He knew that all of this happened because of him, and he hated the fact that he couldn't do anything right now, but he didn't have a choice.

'Good.' The zombie replied as she readied her own tranquiliser gun. ''Let's go, Beesh.''

'Roger.'

The two MON agents left Hideki as the made their way into the woods. They hoped that they could resolve this situation without any major injuries, for Scorpia's sake.

* * *

Deeper in the forest, Tio was holding her ground against the teen girtablilu. Thankfully she hadn't suffered any injuries thanks to her body armour, but she was without her trusty riot shields, as they would've weighed her down further, and she was struggling to keep up with Scorpia already. The girl in question was standing opposite the ogress in a defensive stance, breathing heavily. Scorpia had the upper body of a human girl with lightly tanned skin, and scarlet hair with long bangs reaching her shoulder line, and a long-braided ponytail that reached her lower back. Her forearms ended in large pincers that were covered in pail-red carapace. Her lower body was that of a pail-red scorpion, which was made of six arachnid-like legs, a large, think body, and a long, segmented stinger. She was wearing a white tank top, and a blue skirt with a black studded belt. She stood tall on her legs with her pincers spread wide, and her stinger ready to strike as a furious look crossed her face.

''Why can't you just leave me alone?!'' The young girl yelled in frustration.

Tio took off her helmet to reveal her face full of concern. She then dropped the helmet and held her hands up to show she meant no harm.

'Scorpia-chan, I want to help you.' She said in a calming voice. ''There's no need for anyone to get hurt. We just want to talk.''

'You say that, but why wear body armour if you just want to talk?!' Scorpia exclaimed, not sure what to think.

'Please, Scorpia-chan. Trust me.' Tio replied as she slowly moved towards the girl, he hands still raised.

Scorpia slowly lowered her stinger and pincers as she started to feel more at ease with the ogress. 'But I messed up.' She said as tears rolled down her cheeks. 'The exchange program will deport me for this.'

''That won't happen. Nobody's been hurAAAAAHHHH!''

Tio yelped in surprise as she suddenly found her raised hands bound by a bolas. Before she could react, another bolas had struck her legs and tied them together, sending the ogress toppling to the ground hard.

'Tio!' Scorpia yelled as the ogress toppled over.

'Owwie…' Tio winced in pain from her awkward landing, unable to break free of her bonds.

Suddenly, they heard rustling from the trees above, and it continued until it stopped just over the pair. Scorpia raised her stinger and pincers again to defend herself if need be.

''Show yourself! I don't want to hurt you!'' The young girtablilu yelled as she backed herself up against a nearby tree.

After a moment, a figure leapt down from the canopy and landed several feet in front of the girl. As the figure rose to its feet, Scorpia could see that the stranger was a woman, wearing a tight-fitting dark purple sleeveless body suit, a pair of rounded wooden sandals, a black belt with many pouches attached, as well as pouches on her thighs that held several kunai, and a red silk scarf that obscured her face from the nose down. What made the woman stand out was the two sets of arms at her side, the top pair ending in large sickles, and the bottom pair ending in five-fingered hands, both covered in a dark brown carapace. She also had short, dark brown hair tied in a ponytail and short bangs that reached down to her chin, and a pair of green compound eyes. This woman was obviously a liminal, and though Scorpia hadn't met one in person before, she knew that the woman was an empusa, or mantis-folk as they were more commonly known.

'It seems you are safe now.' The empusa spoke in a monotoned voice, staring at Scorpia with her sickled arms folded against her chest and her bottom arms resting at her sides.

''But I wasn't in danger, I was just,''

''It's okay.'' The woman interrupted Scorpia. ''I'll take you somewhere safe.'' She stated as she sauntered over towards the teen.

''Stop! Don't go near her!'' Tio exclaimed, still on the ground trying to break free.

''Tio!''

The empusa suddenly stopped upon hearing a voice from the distance. She turned to face where the voice was coming from, her legs spread wide as she raised her sickled arms in a defensive manner, and her bottom arms reaching for a pair of kunai, one in each hand. From the shrubbery, Blare rushed out, her skirt now torn on one side. She skidded to a halt as she saw the group, her clawed hands raised from her sides and her flame lashes burning furiously. She noticed that Tio was lying on the ground, bound and unable to get up, and Scorpia backed up against a tree in a panicked state. Blare then laid her eyes on the empusa in front of her, ready to attack.

'Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?!' The hellhound yelled as her flame lashes burnt brighter.

'That is none of your concern, Fleabag.' The empusa said flatly. ''I suggest that you go back where you came from. I don't wish to hurt you.''

'You must be Blare, right?' Tio asked as she was barely able to sit herself upright. Even sitting she was nearly as tall as the empusa.

''Yeah. Don't worry, I'll deal with Four Arms here, no problem.'' Blare stated, keeping eye contact with the empusa.

''Don't underestimate me. I've been trained in the art of ninjutsu since I was a child.'' The woman said flatly, furrowing her brow.

''Like I'll let some random ninja chick get the better of me!'' Blare snapped back in anger, before charging headlong at the empusa woman.

'Fool.'

The empusa threw the kunai from her right hand at the charging hellhound, but Blare quickly stepped to the side to avoid it. Blare went to swipe her left claw at the ninja, but she skilfully ducked under it. The woman was poised to strike her sickles at her foe, but Blare recovered quickly, spinning herself around and landing a reverse roundhouse kick with her right leg. The empusa was sent flying into one of the nearby trees. She was able to get up quickly and ready a defensive stance as Blare charged at her again.

While the pair were fighting, Scorpia took the chance to get to Tio to try and cut her bonds.

'Are you okay, Tio?' She asked with worry as she cut through the cords that bound her hands together.

''Yeah, just a small headache, but nothing I can't shake off'' Tio replied, trying to reassure the girl.

'This is all my fault.' Scorpia said as tears ran down her face again. ''If I didn't act out like this, then none of this would've happened.''

''Hey, it's okay.'' The ogress replied as she placed a hand on her shoulder. ''We'll get this sorted out.''

As the empusa flipped over Blare's swipe, she noticed that Scorpia had almost freed Tio from her restraints. As she landed, she readied herself for another attack.

'Blare! Where are you?!' The voice of a young man could be heard not too far from where they were fighting.

'Over here!' Blare yelled in response. ''We've got trouble!''

''It seems I've lost my advantage.'' The empusa stated as she pulled a small black orb from one of her pouches.

Without another word, she threw the orb to the ground, and the immediate area was blasted by a puff of smoke.

''Oh, no you don't!'' Blare exclaimed as she rushed forward.

As she swiped with her claw again, the smoke cleared and the ninja had disappeared from sight. Luckily, Blare was able to pick up the woman's scent, and could tell that the escaped through the canopy, moving deeper into the woods.

''Tio, I'm going after her. Tell Yuuto and Zombina what happened.''

'Got it, just be careful.' Tio replied as she got to her feet with Scorpia's help.

Blare merely nodded in response before quickly climbing one of the trees and giving chase to the empusa. Moments later, Yuuto and Zombina made their way into the small clearing to find Tio and Scorpia alone.

'Tio, Scorpia. Are you guys okay?' Zombina asked with concern.

''Yeah, we're fine.'' Tio replied cheerily while rubbing the back of her head.

''Where's Blare?'' Yuuto asked as he scanned the area.

''She's chasing some ninja woman.'' Scorpia replied, not quite believing the situation herself.

'What?!' Yuuto replied in surprise.

''She's right.'' Tio replied in a more serious manner. 'We need to stop them before they get any further into the forest.'

'Right.' Zombina replied with a sense of urgency. 'Tio, go take Scorpia back home for now and wait on standby.'

''Got it. Let's go, Scorpia.'' Tio responded as she made her way past the other MON agents.

'Alright.' The girtablilu girl replied as she followed the ogress.

''Yuuto, you're with me.'' Zombina ordered the human as she raised her tranquilizer gun.

''Alright, but we don't know where Blare is right now.''

Suddenly, in the distance, they her a young woman shouting at the top of her lungs. They couldn't make out what she was saying, but they knew it was Blare.

''Well, that's a start.'' Yuuto said as he started running in the direction of Blare's yelling, with Zombina close on his heels.

* * *

The empusa continued to make her escape, jumping from branch to branch effortlessly. Normally, she wouldn't have much difficulty shaking off a foe, but it seemed that the hellhound chasing her was just as agile, plus she was probably able to track her scent quite easily.

''Get back here! There's no use running!'' Blare yelled, getting angrier from the prolonged chase.

The hellhound was only twenty feet behind the empusa at this point, easily navigating the forest canopy, jumping from branch to branch, propelling herself from tree trunks, and occasionally swinging from one branch to another. As the empusa darted through the canopy, she pulled a grappling hook from one of her pouches, tied with a long stretch of rope, while keeping herself balanced with her sickled arms. She saw there was a large clearing ahead, and planned to use the hook to swing to the other side without slowing herself down, and possibly slow down her pursuer. As she reached the edge of the clearing, she jumped as far as she could and hurled the grappling hook to one of the larger trees nearby. The hook hit its target and was secured to a large, sturdy branch. The ninja started swinging on the rope attached to it, and thought she evaded her pursuer for now, but she underestimated her foe's leaping abilities, as the hellhound leapt towards the rope as far as she could.

'Got you now!' Blare exclaimed as she raised her claw to swipe at the rope.

She was able to reach the rope, and cut in in twain with her claw. The empusa fell mid swing, and hit the ground hard, as Blare landed into a forward roll, and started making her way to the woman.

The empusa grunted in pain as she got to her feet, as the now tattered scarf fell to the ground, now revealing her face fully. She noticed that Blare was closing the distance between them, so she raised her sickles and charged towards the hellhound.

'This ends here, Mutt.' She stated flatly, charging full speed at her foe.

''You're going down, Bug Eyes.'' Blare yelled in reply with both her claws raised.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, several vines surged out from the nearby shrubbery, towards the two women. Before they could react, the pair were snared by the vines, and tied up mid-air, unable to break free.

'Holy crap! Why does this shit keep happening to me?!' Blare yelled in protest as the vines continued to tangle around her.

'What is this?!' The empusa exclaimed in a panic, as the vines constricted around her body.

Soon after, a buxom woman emerged from the nearly foliage. Her arms and legs were covered in bark, as well as around her waist, over her groin and around her neck. She also had green leaves for hair, and long vines growing from the back of her head, reaching down to the back of her thighs. Her eyes were a bright blue, and she had red markings sticking from the corners of her eyes. She wore no clothes at all, and the only thing covering her ample breasts were large leaves over each nipple. The woman was obviously a dryad.

'What brings you into my forest?' The woman questioned the pair was she walked over to them. 'Why do you bring harm to my home?'

'Wait! I can explain!' Blare yelled, before the vines tightened around her further, and she yelped in pain.

'I mean you and your home no harm.' The empusa replied. 'I am only here to carry out a mis- '

The ninja was cut off as the vines continued to constrict around her harder, causing her to gasp in pain.

''I'm not interested in your excuses.'' The dryad spoke, her voice full of venom. ''Someone must answer for the damage you've caused here today.''

'Blare!'

The voice of a young man yelled in the distance. Blare looked behind her to see Yuuto running into the clearing with Zombina close behind.

'Stud?! How the hell did you find me?!'

'Are you kidding?!' The blonde agent replied as he and Zombina closed in on the group. 'Your loud mouth can be a godsend sometimes!'

Blare blushed as a smile crossed her face, uncaring about her current circumstance.

'Hey, Kii! Hold up!' Zombina yelled at the dryad.

'Zombina?' Kii replied, shocked by the sudden arrival of her acquaintances. 'What brings you and Agent Kazama here?'

'Trying to get these two back with us is all.' Zombina replied with a massive grin, as she pointed her thumbs up at the currently suspended hellhound and empusa.

'You okay there, Blare?' Yuuto asked his squad mate with concern, as he made his way next to her.

''I've felt better, but at least I'm not covered in webs or slime this time.'' Blare joked as she grinned at the human and gave him a wink.

''At least you're okay.'' He replied before he turned to face the empusa. 'How about you, Miss?' He questioned the ninja with equal concern.

The empusa's face turned red at the human's concern for her. She only nodded nervously in response, not looking him in the eye.

'Good.' Yuuto said with a smile.

''You're such a smooth talker, Stud.'' Blare said in a sultry voice, teasing him.

'Is this any time for you to be joking around?' He replied with an annoyed look on his face.

'Always such the lady killer, Beesh.' Zombina teased with an equally sultry voice as she pressed her breasts against his back.

'Not you too…' Yuuto groaned in frustration at the combined teasing he was receiving.

'Ahem.' Kii cut in sounding very annoyed herself, getting everyone's attention.

Yuuto moved away from Zombina as he faced the dryad. ''I'm sorry about all this, but could you please let my friends go?' He asked before bowing to her. ''I'll make sure they'll receive punishment for what they're done to your home.''

'Hmmm.' The dryad mused at the human's proposition. She was not one to easily trust humans after what happened to her in the past, but her past dealings with the blonde agent have been nothing but positive. He even helped her clear out garbage along with the other MON agents on several occasions.

After a moment, she replied. 'Very well. You have done good by me, so I shall return the gesture.'

With that, the vines around Blare and the ninja unravelled, and the pair dropped to the ground, glad to be free from their restraints.

''Be sure this doesn't happen again, otherwise I will deal with them personally.'' Kii continued as an intimidating aura surrounded her.

Blare and the empusa jumped back in a panic as Yuuto nodded to her.

'You have my word.' He replied in a serious tone.

Kii nodded in satisfaction as a smile crossed her lips. 'Until we meet again, Agent Kazama.' She said as she walked back into the dense woodland, almost immediately vanishing from sight.

'Seeya later, Kii!' Zombina yelled waving her hand at the dryad.

'Well, that takes care of that.' Yuuto muttered to himself before Blare rushed towards him and pulled him into a tight hug.

'You are such a badass, Stud!' She exclaimed happily with a massive grin as her tail wagged frantically.

'Thanks, I guess.' He replied as he returned the gesture.

'Kazama?'

Yuuto and Blare turned their heads to face the empusa standing by them. She had her sickled arms folded to her sided and her lower arms held low in front of her, still too nervous to look him in the eye.

'Thank you for helping me. I owe you a great debt.' She continued as she found the courage to look straight at him, before bowing to him.

'No worries.' He replied as he broke away from the hug with Blare, much to her displeasure. 'You were in trouble, so I wanted to help.'

The empusa stood up straight. 'Even so, I must- '

She was cut off as he pressed his finger against her lips to silence her.

''It's fine, we can talk later. Right now, I'd appreciate it if you'd come with us peacefully, Miss,' Yuuto said as he removed his finger from her lips.

'Hayashi. My name is Kasumi Hayashi.' She replied as she gave him a sincere smile and her cheeks turned red. ''It's a pleasure to meet you.''

'Geez, why is Stud getting so friendly with that ninja chick?' Blare complained to herself, seeing as Yuuto's attention was focused on Kasumi.

''Didn't take you for the jealous type, Blare.'' Zombina teased as she nudged her elbow into the hellhound's side.

'Why would I be jealous of her?!' Blare exclaimed in protest at her comrade's gibing.

''C'mon girls, we should head back before we overstay our welcome.'' Yuuto stated as he made his way back to the Sato residence, with Kasumi close behind.

'Hey! Wait up!' Blare yelled as she caught up with the pair.

''Heh, looks like we'll make a Captain out of you yet, Beesh.'' Zombina muttered to herself as she caught up with the group.

With that, the MON agents, plus the ninja, made their way out of the forest, careful to damage even a single leaf, as to avoid incurring the wrath of the local dryad that called this neck of the woods home. Their day was far from over.


	10. Welcome to the squad

Edited 27/6/17: Correcting spelling and grammar errors. Also, Linimal should be Liminal, only just realised this after 11 chapters, oops.

* * *

''C'mon, pick up.''

Yuuto was standing in the hallway, with his phone next to his ear. He was trying to get in touch with Ms Smith about his new acquaintance, Kasumi. Everyone else was seated in the living room, drinking tea and chatting, though Blare was less than enthusiastic about their empusa guest. After a moment, Smith finally answered the call.

'Hello, Bishie-kun.' Kuroko answered in an upbeat mood, probably happy to have a distraction from the mountain of paperwork she had to deal with. 'What can I help you with?'

'Hey boss.' Yuuto replied, sounding quite annoyed. ''Just wondering. You wouldn't happen to know anything about an empusa ninja at all, would you?''

''Oh, I guess that you've met Hayashi-san then? I've been meaning to tell you, she'll be joining your squad, starting today.'' She replied matter-of-factly. 'I take it that the Scorpia situation is under control?'

'Well, we got her to calm down eventually, but- '

''Good to hear, I can trust you and Zombina to handle it from here. I'll speak to you again soon. This paperwork won't do itself. Best of luck.''

'Hey, wait!' Yuuto shouted down the phone before the line cut dead.

'God dammit…' He trailed off as he hung his head in frustration and leaned against the wall.

As he pocketed his phone and calmed himself down, Zombina came into the hallway to see how Yuuto was doing.

'Everything alright, Beesh?' She asked out of concern.

He raised his head to face her as he gave the zombie a reassuring smile. ''Yeah, it's just Smith being Smith. Turns out Kasumi is joining my squad, just wish she wouldn't drop important shit like this on me last minute.'' He said in a melancholy tone.

''Trust me, you're not the only one she's done this too. I dealt with the same shit when Doppel joined the squad, though that was more Doppel's antics than Kuroko herself in that situation.'' Zombina replied as she leant against the wall next to him, giving him a massive grin.

'Why am I not surprised?' He replied as he shook his head.

'Besides,' The red head continued. ''I wouldn't complain about having an empusa join your squad, and a ninja too! I'm fucking jealous!'' She said as she nudged an elbow into his side.

'What?!'

The pair heard Blare shout from the living room before she rushed into the hallway herself.

'Are you kidding me?! She practically tried to kill me earlier! What the hell, Stud!' Blare shouted with her flame lashes burnt brightly with anger.

'Not my call, Blare.' He replied sternly to his squad mate. 'We should see what Kasumi has to say about the situation before we start a witch hunt.' He continued in a serious tone.

*STARE*

The group then noticed that Kasumi had poked her head around the doorway, with her sickled arms latched to the door frame, staring straight at Yuuto with a blank expression.

''Don't even try to act innocent!'' Blare exclaimed as she pointed an accusatory finger at her.

'Leave her be, Blare.' Yuuto said as he moved next to her and put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. Thankfully, it was enough of a distraction to focus the hellhound's attention on him.

'But,' Blare tried to reply before the human gave her a comforting squeeze.

''It's okay, I'll handle it.'' He continued as he gave her a reassuring smile.

Blare sighed in defeat to the man's caring nature. ''Alright. I'm sorry, Stud.'' The said dejectedly as she hung her head, disappointed in herself for losing her composure like she did, and taking it out on her squad captain.

''Don't worry, we'll talk in private later.'' He replied as he let her go and focused his attention on Kasumi, who was still grasping on the doorway. ''It's alright, Kasumi. I just want to know why you showed up like you did earlier.''

The empusa moved from the doorway, standing before the small group with her upper arms folded to her sides and her lower arms hung low in front of her. ''I am truly sorry about what happened earlier. I was asked by Agent Smith to locate Miss Scorpia, and to make sure no harm came to her. Though her request was rather vague, and she did not mention that other agents would be on the scene. It still doesn't excuse my reckless behaviour though, and I almost brought harm to a fellow agent. For that, I cannot forgive myself.'' She said apologetically, before she turned to Blare and bowed before her. 'Miss Blare, I pray for your forgiveness, even if I am undeserving of it.'

Blare stared at the still bowing ninja with a mix of anger and confusion, unsure of how to reply to her display. After a moment, she took a deep breath to calm herself. ''It's okay.'' She replied as her mood lightened, at which the empusa looked up at her in surprise. ''I guess it was an honest mistake. To be honest, you fought like a badass back there, though I would've preferred if you didn't throw sharp knives at me.''

'Kunai.' Kasumi corrected the hellhound.

''Right, those. Anyway, I'm sorry I over-reacted the way I did. I instinctively treated like a hostile without thinking. Can you forgive me?'' Blare said with a grin as she reached out a clawed hand towards the ninja.

Kasumi was perplexed by Blare's apology. As far as the empusa was concerned, she treated the situation accordingly despite the lack of information. After a moment, she smiled at Blare as she stood up straight and took her hand with her own. 'Very well. You fought admirably yourself. I would be proud to call you comrade.'

'Welcome to the squad, Kasumi. Glad to have you on board.' Yuuto stated with a smile as the pair let go of one another.

Kasumi turned to face him with her cheeks flushing red. 'It is an honour, Senpai.'

'Alright, alight. Enough with the lovey dovey crap.' Zombina interjected as she started making her way back to the living room. 'We still got Hideki and Scorpia to deal with.'

'Alright.' Yuuto replied while Blare and Kasumi nodded, the group following her back into the living room.

As the four agents entered the living room, they found Hideki sitting on the end of the couch, and Scorpia crouched on the floor next to him, the pair's faces both bright red and looking away from each other. Tio was seated at the other end of the couch, happily munching away on biscuits. Zombina, Blare, and Kasumi sat on the damaged couch facing them while Yuuto stayed standing and walked up to the two teenagers.

'Okay, you two. We have a situation here that needs resolving, pronto.' Yuuto stated with his arms crossed, sounding very stern. ''This whole mess started because you guys haven't been honest with each other, so I suggest the two of you clear the air before you cause a diplomatic incident. Understood?''

'Yes, Kazama-san.' Scorpia replied dejectedly.

'Yes, S-s-sir.' Hideki answered nervously.

The pair turned to face each other as all the MON agents looked on in anticipation, even Tio stopped snacking to do so. After a moment, Hideki spoke up first.

'Scorpia, I- '

''Hideki-kun! I'm sorry I've treated you the way I have recently!'' Scorpia blurted out interrupting the young man, with tears flowing from her compound eyes. ''It's just that, I've been thinking about you a lot lately, romantically that is, but I didn't want to admit it in case I ruined our friendship over it, or even get you arrested because of my feelings! So, I thought,' She continued, feeling very embarrassed, until Hideki grabbed one of her pincers, interrupting her.

''Scorpia, I'm sorry I didn't realise sooner that you liked me. This isn't your fault that this happened. If I realised sooner, maybe we could've avoided this whole mess. Honestly, I don't know why you'd like someone like me…'' He trailed off as he lost confidence in himself. Scorpia then placed her free pincer against his cheek as they stared into one another's eyes.

''You're the kindest guy I've ever met.'' She said sincerely, tears still flowing from her eyes and a smile forming on her face. ''Ever since I moved in, you've always supported me. You've helped me fit in at school, you've helped me study, and you've helped me understand human culture, and despite my appearances, you've treated me like a normal girl. You're kind and sweet, and you can be pretty funny too. How can a girl not fall for someone like you?''

Hideki's face went a brighter shade of red as Scorpia praised him. 'Scorpia…' That was all he could say before the girtablilu's lips locked with his.

Everyone in the room was surprised by the sudden display of affection between the teenagers. Zombina had a massive grin on her face while Blare and Kasumi started at the pair, their faces now bright red. Yuuto just merely smiled, while Tio was clapping with a joyous smile at the sight before her.

'Aww, you two make an adorable couple.' Tio squeed in elation of the new couple.

After a moment, their lips parted, before Scorpia pulled Hideki into a hug. 'Hideki, I love you so much.' She declared as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Hideki merely wrapped his arms around Scorpia as a smile formed on his lips.

'Alright, love birds, break it up.' Yuuto said in order to grab the couple's attention. As the pair separated, he continued. ''Now that we got that out of the way, I have some ground rules. I honestly don't mind if you two start dating, but try not to get lovey dovey out in public, okay?''

Hideki and Scorpia nodded silently before the agent continued.

''And for the love of Buddha, don't have sex. I'd rather not see either of you get arrested or deported after this whole fiasco, got it?

The pair blushed in embarrassment and nodded in agreement to his terms.

'Good. Hopefully that should solve the situation for now. We just need to sort out this mess now.' He stated as he looked over the damaged living room.

''Don't worry, Beesh. I made the call to get repairs sorted while you were talking to Kuroko.'' Zombina replied as she stood from her seat and held her hand behind her head.

'Awesome, thanks Zee.' Yuuto said before turning back to face Hideki and Scorpia. ''Well, I think that's everything dealt with. You guys have any plans for summer break?''

''Well, we are planning to head to the beach one of the days. Scorpia hasn't been to one before, so I thought it would be fun for her.'' Hideki replied as he rose from his seat, with Scorpia skittering next to him.

''Yeah, we're going with our friends from class.'' Scorpia replied with a smile as she draped an arm around the back of Hideki's neck. ''I can't wait to go.''

'Nice one. Well, we better get going. You two have fun.' Yuuto replied as the other MON agents got up from their seats and started filing out from the living room and through the front entrance of the house. Before he left, he turned around to face Hideki again. 'One more thing, Kid. Try not to drown this time.' He said with a massive grin.

''What do you mean by 'this time' Kazama-san?'' The teenager asked with a quizzical look on his face.

''What, don't you remember the guy who saved you seven years back?'' Yuuto replied teasingly.

Hideki's eyes widened with realisation as he remembered the time when he almost drowned in the waterway, only to be saved by a blonde high-schooler. ''Oh my god, I didn't realise- ''

''It's okay.'' Yuuto interrupted the shocked teenager. ''I'll let you off the hook this time. Just be careful, don't want to get Scorpia upset now, do you?''

'Of course, thank you for everything, Kazama-san.' Hideki replied with a smile on his face.

'Yeah, thanks for everything!' Scorpia exclaimed with joy as Yuuto left the pair to their own devices.

'See you two soon.' Yuuto said as he waved at them and left the house.

As the blonde agent made his way to the SUV, he saw the girls waiting for him by the car.

''Great work today, everyone. Though that could've gone a lot smoother.'' Yuuto stated as he made his way to the group.

''You're telling me. Suzu's going to lecture me to death about these broken ribs.'' Zombina complained to herself as she pouted.

''But aren't you already dead?'' Kasumi asked as she tilted her head to the side in confusion.

''It's just a turn of phrase, Kasumi.'' She replied sounding somewhat annoyed at the empusa's lack of common sense.

''Bina-chan didn't mean it literally, Sumi-chan.'' Tio said cheerily with a smile on her face.

'Sumi-chan?' Kasumi question with a quizzical expression.

'She means you, Four Arms.' Blare answered the empusa, giggling to herself.

'Very well.' She replied before turning her attention to Yuuto. 'Senpai, is it common for work colleagues to assign one another nicknames?'

''Fairly, though I don't do it much myself.'' Yuuto replied, before Zombina made an audible cough. 'Well, there is one exception.' He continued as Zombina gave him a wink.

''Anyway, let's get going.'' The zombie said as she stretched her arms up. 'Smith will want a report on this as soon as.' She continued sounding dejected, not looking forward to the paperwork awaiting them. 'Seeya later, Beesh.'

'Later, Zee.' Yuuto replied as Zombina and Tio made their way to their own car. ''Kasumi, you're with me and Blare.''

'As you wish, Senpai.' The empusa answered as the three agents entered the SUV.

'Well, I've been called weirder things, at least.'' Yuuto muttered to himself as he buckled himself in and started the car, not sounding too pleased about his new nickname.

'Man, Smith is going to be pissed with me ripping my skirt on the first day.' Blare said dejectedly to herself as she buckled up her seat belt.

''Don't worry, she'll be too distracted with paperwork to notice straight away.'' Yuuto replied to the downtrodden hellhound. 'But geez, this has been one hell of a first day for the squad.' He continued as he drove off.

''Well, at least it's been fun!'' Blare exclaimed as her mood brightened. 'Looking forward to more of this, Stud!'

'It has been quite the experience.' Kasumi said with a sincere smile on her face.

'That it has, girls. That it has.'

* * *

Later that evening, Yuuto was in his room on his laptop, playing Diablo 3. He was in the middle of grinding set pieces for his Hardcore Monk, though the drops so far haven't been great. As he was in the middle of a mob fight, someone knocked on the door.

'Yeah, just a sec!' He shouted as he finished clearing the group of enemies.

Once he teleported to safety and logged off, he made his way to door. He was wearing a plain red t-shirt, with blue denim jeans, black socks, and his trusty fingerless gloves. He opened the door to find Blare, wearing a black Evanescence t-shirt and blue denim shorts. Her cheeks flushed red upon seeing her captain.

'Hey Stud.' She said as a smile formed on her face. 'Mind if I come in? I believe you owe me a talk.' She continued as she gave him a wink.

'Sure thing, Blare. Please, come in.' He replied with his own smile.

''Don't mind if I do.'' She replied as she entered his apartment.

As Yuuto shut the door, Blare made her way into the main living area.

'Not a bad little place you got here.' Blare said as she looked the apartment over.

''It's home, I guess'' He replied as he made his way to Blare. ''So, what's on your mind?''

Blare took a seat on the couch before she continued. ''It's this whole 'Kasumi' situation. Call me crazy, but I think she's hiding something, and I don't like it.''

'Like what exactly?' Yuuto asked as he took a seat next to her.

''I don't know, but there's something about her that rubs me the wrong way, and I have no idea why-'' Blare stopped suddenly when she started sniffing the air.

'Blare?' The human asked as he raised his eyebrows.

'I can smell her.' Blare got up from her seat and moved about the room, sniffing out the source of the scent.

'Smell who?' Yuuto questioned as he moved to the hellhound's side.

'Kasumi, where are you hiding her?' She continued as she slowly made her way to Yuuto's wardrobe.

''What are you on about? I haven't seen here since our shift ended today.''

Blare closed the distance between them and looked the human in the eyes, her flame lashes flicking from her own eyes, which cast a judging gaze at Yuuto. After a moment, the hellhound smiled at him and backed away.

''Good, you're not lying. Sorry I doubted you, Stud.'' Blare said apologetically before continuing her search for the empusa. ''I bet she must've snuck in while you weren't looking.''

''But how? I was in my apartment since I got back from work. I think I'd noticed if someone snuck in.'' Yuuto puzzled about the sudden intrusion until he felt a draft come from the window. He walked over to it and noticed that it was slightly ajar. ''Wait, I haven't touched the damn thing since yesterday. It should be shut.'' He continued as he shut the window, at which point he noticed that the latch had been damaged from the outside.

'Stud. Over here.' Blare said as she was standing in front of his wardrobe.

Yuuto moved to join her as she sniffed around the wardrobe. ''You're saying she's in there?'' The blonde questioned with a quizzical look.

''My senses have never failed me before. It's definitely the ninja chick.'' She replied in a serious tone.

'Achoo!'

Suddenly the pair heard a cute-sounding sneeze from the wardrobe, which made Yuuto jump back in surprise.

'Blare, remind me never to doubt you again.' Yuuto said as he recomposed himself.

Blare gave him a wily smile. 'Oh, you bet your sweet ass I will.' She replied as she gave him a wink. ''Now, let's see whose behind door number one!'' She exclaimed as she flung the wardrobe doors open.

Inside, the pair found a number of Yuuto's clothes hanging from the railing. They also noticed a pair of pale-skinned legs wearing black trainers standing in the wardrobe. Yuuto then proceeded to push the clothes aside to find Kasumi. She was wearing a white tank top with a blue skirt, and she had a blank expression on her face, despite being discovered. If nothing else, she knew how to keep her cool.

'Kasumi?' Yuuto asked, sounding somewhat annoyed. 'What are you doing, hiding in my wardrobe?'

The empusa merely tilted her head to the side, trying to fain innocence. 'Senpai, your wardrobe is rather dusty. Might I suggest cleaning it once in a while?'

''Hey! Don't change the subject, Ninja! What the hell are you doing in Stud's room?!'' Blare shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

With that, Kasumi stepped out of the wardrobe, shaking her head to fling off any dust that collected on her while she was hiding. She then looked up at the pair. 'I was merely keeping an eye on Sempai, in the case that he might be attacked. I only wish to protect him.'

''Kasumi, you do realise that most people would consider that 'stalking', right?'' Yuuto questioned the empusa.

'I apologize, that was not my intention.' Kasumi replied flatly.

''Well, you could've fooled me.'' Blare interjected, sounding very annoyed as her tail stood on end and her flame lashes burnt brighter.

'Anyway, why did you sneak into my room, instead of knocking on the front door like most people?' Yuuto asked, still somewhat confused as to why the empusa was hiding in his room.

''That wouldn't be befitting of a Shinobi now, would it?'' Kasumi replied flatly, thinking that this was acceptable behaviour.

Yuuto then suddenly remembered that she was wearing a skirt, and that the only way she could've snuck in was through the window from the outside. His face flushed red at the realisation.

''This girl really doesn't have any common sense, does she?'' He thought to himself as he broke eye contact.

''Senpai, you're thinking of something perverted, aren't you?'' She asked with no sense of shame.

'Of course not!' The young man exclaimed in protest as he faced the empusa once more, his face still bright red. 'Why do something as dangerous as climbing through the window at this height, just to keep an eye on me?'

Kasumi smiled at him, happy that he was concerned about her safety. 'You truly are a caring man, Senpai. I may have only met you today, but that is what I like about you most of all.' Her face blushed as she continued. 'Earlier, you saved from the dryad, and for that, I owe you a great debt. Senpai, you have my upmost loyalty, this I swear.' She stated before she bowed to him.

Blare may have had her doubts about the empusa, but she could tell that she was being honest, so she decided to stay quiet for the time being.

After a moment, Yuuto place a hand on Kasumi's shoulder. She looked up to see his smiling face looking down at her.

''There's no need to be so formal about it. Squad mates look out for each other, so don't sweat it.'' Yuuto said sincerely to the empusa.

'Senpai…'

'Ahem.'

Blare made an audible cough to get the pair's attention. ''If you two are done flirting, Kasumi and I should get going. We've got an early start tomorrow.'' Blare stated with her eyebrows furrowed.

'Yes, I have said what I wished to say. I will see you tomorrow, Sempai.' Kasumi said as she stood up straight and made her way to the front door with Blare.

'Yeah, seeya in the morning, Stud.'

Before the pair could leave. Yuuto grabbed them by the shoulder, preventing their escape. The two liminals looked back to see the human with a sinister grin on his face.

'Where do you think you two are going? Did you forget about what I talked to Kii about earlier?'

''Stud, you can't be- '' Blare was interrupted when her tightened his grip on their shoulders.

'A promise is a promise, girls.' He continued as he pulled the pair towards his laptop.

'What are you going to do to us, Senpai?' Kasumi asked with visible concern.

'Just sit down on the bed.'

Blare and Kasumi sat on the bed while Yuuto was setting something up on his laptop.

'Now, have either of you ever heard of the 50/50 challenge?'

Both of them shook their heads, unaware of what awaited them.

'Well, here you go.' He stated as he passed them the laptop.

The pair saw a web page with ten links displays, each titled with two different captions, one fairly tame, and one that seemed rather unpleasant.

'What is this, Stud?' Blare questioned, now visibly worried.

''You'll find out, just click the first link.''

As Blare clicked on the first link, she and Kasumi saw something that they couldn't un-see. Their eyes widened in shock at the image displayed before them.

'NOOOOOOOOOOOO!' The pair screamed in unison as Yuuto laughed at their reaction. He thought that this would be a suitable enough punishment for his squad mates.

* * *

A/N: Thanks again for reading MON - Squad Bravo. After nine weeks, we've reached over 3,500 views on this story. I can't thank everyone enough for the continued support. Free free to follow and favourite if you enjoy the story, as well as leave a review or any suggestions. Until next chapter everyone.


	11. Midnight Raid in Shibuya

Edited 27/6/17: Correcting spelling and grammar errors. Also, Linimal should be Liminal, only just realised this after 11 chapters, oops.

* * *

It had been a week since Blare and Kasumi joined MON's Bravo squad, and things were progressing smoothly. The squad had spent most of the past week training alongside Squad Alpha, and everything was going great. Well, except that Blare and Kasumi were still cautious of one another for the most part, but their joint punishment provided by their human squad captain was quite the bonding experience, despite the horrors that the internet provided. Still, the squad mates got on well enough for the team to function properly.

In that time, Yuuto had managed to follow up some leads involving a group of goblins, led by a hobgoblin, that were stealing cars and motorcycles in the Shibuya Ward of Tokyo, though there was also human involvement. It seemed that the criminals had organised a vehicle black market in one of the more run-down areas of Shibuya, and it was up to MON to stop them. Both Alpha and Bravo squad were assigned to the task, seeing as this was going to be Bravo squad's first official deployment, and that they had no idea how many people were involved in this black market. Feeling that there would be more humans involved than they initially planned for, Kuroko decided to involve herself in the operation personally, as well as have police back-up if needed. She had plenty of combat training, plus she wanted to see how Squad Bravo would fare on the field.

* * *

It was the middle of the night when they commenced the operation, and the team found themselves at a large run-down warehouse, the building that was being used to house the stolen vehicles. At the back entrance, two human thugs were stationed to guard it, both armed with an AK-47.

'This job fucking blows, why do we have to stand guard?' The short, black-haired man complained audibly to his partner.

''Someone's got to keep an eye out for the cops. The boss has a good deal going with those midgets, and he doesn't want anything to put a stop to that.'' The taller brown-haired human replied to the other man's grumbling.

''But this part of town is fucking dead! What's the point in standing out here when there's no fucker to- ''

Their conversation was cut short as the pair were hit with tranquilizer darts simultaneously and fell to the ground, rendered unconscious. From either side of the gap in the fence only thirty feet away from the back entrance, Kuroko and Yuuto came around the corner, armed with silenced tranquilizer guns, accompanied by both Kasumi and Doppel, all wearing the MON uniform, apart from the nude doppelganger. Yuuto had finally had his stitches removed from the cut he sustained when he fought Gaku Takahashi, and it left a small scar under his right eye. The small group made their way to the door as Kuroko and Yuuto shifted the unconscious thugs out the way.

''Can't remember the last time I got my hands dirty like this.'' The raven-haired woman reminisced with a smile on her face as she bound the short man's hands behind his back.

'You don't seem to be all that upset by that statement.'' The blonde agent replied with a hint of sarcasm as he did the same to the taller thug.

'You wound me, Bishie-kun.' Kuroko retorted in mock disgust, brushing her long ponytail to one side. ''I'll have you know I'd rather do this than be confined to my office doing paperwork any day.''

''Don't you already shovel off all your paperwork to the rest of us?'' Doppel voiced her complaint with a wry smile before receiving a light chop to the head from her superior.

'At least it distracts you from pulling pranks in the office.' The human woman replied in an annoyed tone.

During the short exchange, Kasumi was examining the lock on the door, her face expressionless the whole time.

'Kasumi, you think you can break in without alerting anyone.' Yuuto asked the empusa as she continued to stare at the lock.

''Shouldn't be a problem, Senpai. This is nothing for a trained Shinobi.'' The ninja replied flatly as she pulled a lock-picking kit from one of her pouches. She then proceeded to fiddle the lock with her tools as Kuroko got in contact with the rest of the team.

'This is Raven to Walker, come in Walker.' She transmitted down the comms through her earpiece.

'Walker here.' Zombina replied in a hushed tone. 'Titan, Cerberus, and I are ready to breach on your order.' The zombie, as well as Tio and Blare were waiting just outside, ready to siege the building.

'Confirmed.' Kuroko replied before contacting Manako. 'Observer, do you copy?'

'Observer here.' The monoeye replied in a meek tone. ''I'm in position and ready to fire on your command.''

'Roger that. All units, stand by.' She concluded before returning her attention to Doppel. ''Alright Copycat, you're up.''

'Fine, fine. Hold your horses.' The doppelganger replied as her long, silver head started wrapping around her body.

In mere moments, Doppel took on the form of a young girl with short red hair and blue eyes, long pointed ears with a looped earring pierced part way up her left ear, and two large horned sticking up through her hair. She was wearing a messy white t-shirt with blue overalls worn on top, as well as a pair of brown work boots.

''That oughta do it.'' Doppel said in a snarky high-pitched voice, full of confidence.

''It's a good thing we apprehended that Gozlin girl beforehand. Should make infiltration a lot smoother.'' Yuuto replied, still amazed at how the shapeshifter could effortlessly change form, and even perfectly replicate someone's personality and mannerisms.

'Yeah, your squad did a great job tracking her down.' Kuroko said, just as Kasumi succeeded in unlocking the door.

''We're in.'' Kasumi stated as she pushed the door open, and took a moment to scan the room beyond it.

Beyond the doorway, was a small break room, with chairs and table scattered about, with a counter top at the left side of the room.

'All clear.' The empusa stated before the team made their way in.

''I'll go on ahead.'' The disguised Doppel said as she made her way further into the warehouse.

The doppelganger ventured further in, until she reached the auto shop proper. It had several cars, either raised on service lifts or grounded as they were worked on by a fair number of goblin men and a few human mechanics. Just past the auto shop, several other cars and motorcycles were parked in an internal storage area, with several armed humans and goblins keeping watch on their stolen goods. In the far corner of the auto shop, A black-haired human dressed in green cargo pants and a black hoodie, was talking to a tanned-skinned hobgoblin, who stood at least a foot taller than all the goblins under his command. The hobgoblin had dark crimson hair and beard, and deep green eyes, wearing blue overalls that was covered in oil and grease. Apart from being taller than the goblins around him, he was also far more muscular and toned in general, and the average goblin was quite strong compared to humans already. This was one liminal that was not to be taken lightly.

'You want what?!' The human exclaimed in disbelief.

''You heard me, Kai. My boys do all the heavy liftin' around 'ere, so a 70/30 cut seems more than reasonable.'' The hobgoblin replied with a grin on his face.

''Don't fuck with me, Harik! You midgets would still be peddling shitty trinkets if not for me!'' Kai responded, still infuriated by the hobgoblin's terms.

Suddenly, Harik raised his arm and slammed it into the nearby work bench, effortlessly crushing it under his immense strength, which caused the human to flinch, all anger replaced with shock and fear.

''I don't think you have much say in the matter now.'' Harik continued as he lifted his arm from the remains of the work bench.

Doppel made her way to the pair, now convinced that they were the people in charge of this smuggling operation. During that time, Kuroko, Yuuto, and Kasumi moved into position, out of sight of the criminals until they were ready to spring the trap. As Doppel closed the distance, Harik turned to face her with a perverse look on his face.

''Well, ain't it my best girl.'' He said with a massive grin plastering his face. 'What took you so long?' The hobgoblin continued as he put his arm around his 'so-called' lover's waist.

''Had to make sure I wasn't bein' tailed, Boss.'' The fake Gozlin replied, internally feeling disgusted by the hobgoblin's BO.

''Damn humans think they can dictate our way of life, but we'll show 'em, Babe.'' He said as he placed his hand on her ass.

Doppel gave a slight nod to signal she was ready to strike. With that, Kuroko made the call.

'Breach.'

Without warning, a small explosion came from one of the walls in the storage area. As the dust settled, the armoured figure of Tio strode through the hole with her riot shields raised. Close behind her, Zombina and Blare followed, rushing in to help their comrade.

'THE FUCK WAS THAT?!' Harik shouted before realising that he had long strands of silver hair wrapped around him.

He looked back to see that his lover had transformed into a short dark-skinned woman with golden irises and black sclera. She had a smirk on her face as her hair tightened around the hobgoblin.

'Have a nice trip~.' Doppel said in a sing song tone as she used her silver locks to hurl the hobgoblin into one of the cars behind them.

Harik landed hard in the back seat of the white Saab 9-3 convertible, dazed by the force of the landing. Meanwhile, Kuroko and Yuuto moved in and started taking down the armed humans that had made their way into the auto shop with their tranquilizer guns. Kasumi had started neutralizing some of the armed goblins with her bolases from the ceiling of the auto shop.

'The hell is this?!' Kai exclaimed at the doppelganger in a panicked state, in which she responded by transforming some of her hair into a blade and pointed it at the man.

'You stay right there, I had to put up with getting groped to get to you.' Doppel replied, a smirk still evident on her face.

Just then, several goblins leapt on top of her in an attempt to subdue the doppelganger.

'Got you now, Changeling!' One of the goblins exclaimed victoriously.

While Doppel was distracted, Kai used the chance to escape and made his way to the convertible Harik landed in.

'Get the fuck off me!' Doppel yelled as she used her hair to ensnare the goblins, and throw them across the room.

Without delay, Kai started the car and drove off into the storage area.

'Link! Go after them!' Kuroko shouted as she took down another thug. 'Shadow and I can handle things here!'

'You expect me to keep up with a car?!' Yuuto yelled at his superior.

''We've got back-up coming, trust me!''

'Right…' He responded before making his way out the warehouse.

* * *

Moments earlier…

''Heh, it's like a shooting gallery in here!'' Zombina yelled at the top of her lungs, enjoying every second of the fire fight with the goblins.

The zombie was laying down fire against the goblins in the storage area, taking them down with rubber bullets. Tio closed the distance with a small group and smashed her shield into the ground, sending them flying. Blare was in a middle of a mob of goblins, swatting them with her claws as they closed in on her, sending them flying into the nearby cars. The last goblin standing was about to strike her with a wench, when she swatted it out of his hands, before placing a clawed hand around his head, and slammed it into the ground.

'Nighty night!' The hellhound exclaimed, panting after the frantic fight.

Suddenly, her ears twitched as she heard a car engine revving. She looked to the side to see a car racing towards her. In an instant, she leapt to the side, with the goblin in hand, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the vehicle barrelling through the storage area and out through the open shutters.

'Holy crap that was close!' Blare shouted, just as Yuuto came racing into the storage area.

'Cerberus! You okay?!' He yelled as he made his way to her.

''I'm fine, but that asshole is getting away!'' She replied to her squad captain, pissed off that she nearly got run over.

'Alright, stay here and help the others.' He said calmly before getting in touch with Manako through his earpiece. 'Observer, do you have an eye on a white Saab convertible?'

''Affirmative, it just broke through the police barricade, and it's heading south towards the shopping district. Unable to get a shot from my current position though.'' She replied meekly.

'This is Condor, I have eyes on the target.' The voice of a young woman came through full of confidence. 'Commencing pursuit.'

'This is Neith, on route to your location, E.T.A thirty seconds.' Another woman called through in a reserved manner. 'Link, rendezvous with me outside the front entrance.'

'Copy that, Neith.' Yuuto responded, thankful for the sudden back up as he ran towards the designated rendezvous point.

As he reached the roadside, he heard a motorbike engine blaring in the distance. Not long after, the vehicle turned the corner and raced towards his location. The motorbike ground to a halt in front of him, and he saw that the rider was wearing the yellow and black MON bodysuit, though her jacket only had short sleeves, and her arms from the elbow down were covered in bandages, with patches of lightly tanned skin showing through the gaps in the wrapping. She was also wearing a crash helmet which obscured her features from him.

'Get on.' She asked in an impatient tone as she revved the engine of her bike.

Yuuto merely nodded as he got on behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Satisfied, the rider, only known as Neith, revved up the bike again and sped off down the road that the criminals had gone.

''Smith didn't mention you or Condor in the team briefing.'' The blonde agent said, trying to satisfy his curiosity.

''She was expecting them to attempt a getaway. That's why we're here.'' The woman explained as she raced down the deserted street to catch up with their target. ''At least we get to see some action now.'' She continued with a hint of satisfaction.

'Fair enough. I take it you got a plan to stop them?'

The rider nodded silently as she raised a hand, and miraculously, the bandages around her arm came to life as they seem to slither and coil around her appendage.

''I'm a mummy if you haven't already guessed.'' Neith stated pridefully as her bandages became still.

''Okay, that's pretty cool.'' Yuuto complimented her, impressed by her abilities.

'Flattery will get you nowhere.' She replied in a playful tone, which caused Yuuto to blush in embarrassment.

''Anyway, where's Condor at?'' The human decided to change the subject before he could get teased again.

'Look up.'

At her request, Yuuto did so. It was hard to see anything in the night sky, but her did vaguely make out the shape of what looked like a large bird. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the figure was also wearing the MON bodysuit. He could tell that the agent was a Harpy, most likely that of the Raptor subspecies.

''Eyes up front, Link. We're going in hot.'' Neith said in a commanding tone to get his attention.

Yuuto looked forward, seeing that they already caught up with the white Saab convertible with Kai and Harik in it.

He reached for his earpiece. 'Condor, Neith and I are about to make contact with the target. Prepare to engage.'

''Copy that, Link. Those idiots won't see me coming.'' Condor responded in a prideful tone.

Back in the car, Harik regained consciousness to find himself laid flat in the back of one of the stolen cars, currently being driven by Kai at dangerously high speeds.

''The fuck is goin' on?'' He asked the human groggily.

'Fucking feds found us out!' Kai shouted as he narrowly avoided a few oncoming cars. 'Those shit stains are on our tail now!'

The hobgoblin looked back and saw a motorbike pursuing them.

'Not for long.' Harik said with a sinister grin as he pulled out an assault rifle that was conveniently left in the back seat of the car.

'Hold on tight!' Neith warned her passenger, getting ready to start evasive manoeuvres.

Suddenly, several bandages shot from her jacket and wrapped themselves tight around Yuuto and pulled him close to her, causing him to gasp in surprise. As Harik began to open fire, she swerved from side to side, narrowly avoiding the storm of bullets being fired at them, Yuuto holding on to the mummy for dear life. The gun fire stopped as the hobgoblin had to reload his rifle. Noticing this, Yuuto radioed to Condor once again.

''Condor! Target is reloading! You're good to go!''

As Harik was reloading, a shadow loomed over him. He looked up, only to see a yellow talon lunge towards his face.

'AAAAHHHHHH!'

Hearing the scream of the hobgoblin, Kai glanced at the rear-view mirror and saw a young woman stood atop Harik. She had short silver hair and azure blue eyes, and had large grey wings with black primary feathers, covered in black and white spots, as well two large yellow talons with black claws for legs. She was wearing a yellow and black sleeveless bodysuit, with zips on the sides of the jacket and the trousers. She looked up at the rear-view mirror to meet his gaze, her eyes filled with fury. The man's heart skipped a beat before the woman took off with Harik in claw. In that time, Neith was able to pull alongside the car. Once she matched her speed with the car, she raised her arm and shot bandages to it to secure themselves next to it. Before Kai could react to them, Yuuto raised his tranquilizer gun at the man and shot him. As the man lost consciousness, Neith unravelled the bandages from around him, allowing the agent to jump into the car.

''Hold it steady, I'm getting him out the driver's seat!'' Yuuto shouted from the back seat, to which the mummy merely nodded at him.

Neith wrapped more bandages around the vehicle as Yuuto pulled the criminal out the driver's seat, into the back seat, before taking the front seat and grabbed the steering wheel.

'You good?!'

'Yeah, you can let go now.'

With that, Neith unravelled the bandages from the car. Once separated, Yuuto slammed on the brakes and brought the vehicle to a halt. The mummy made a U-turn and made her way back to Yuuto and pulled up next to him.

'Nice work, Neith. That was some sick driving there.' Yuuto complimented the mummy.

Once parked, Neith pulled her helmet off, as long, silky raven hair dropped down to the small of her back, and strips of linen bandages covered her face, apart from her mouth and her deep green eyes which stared back at his.

'Thanks. But please, call me Raia.' The mummy replied with a smirk as she stretched her hand towards him.

''Sure thing, Raia, I'm Yuuto Kazama.'' He said grasping her hand with his.

'LET ME DOWN, YOU BITCH!'

Yuuto and Raia let go of each other as they saw Harik being carried towards them by the silver-haired raptor harpy.

''Well, if you're sure.'' The harpy replied with a sinister grin.

Condor flew over the car and dropped the hobgoblin from a twenty foot drop into the back seat of the car on top of the unconscious human, before making a sharp turn back to the car, and landed softly on the front passenger seat.

'Hey, Yuuto was it? Do you mind shutting that guy up for me?' She asked the blonde agent with a look of annoyance on her face.

''Oh, you're gonna pay for this, you piece of chicken sh- '' Harik was interrupted from finishing his threat as a tranquilizer dart embedded itself into his neck.

'Alright, Harik. Be nice and stay quiet for a while.' Yuuto said in a teasing tone with his tranquilizer gun pointed at the hobgoblin.

'You… Motherfu…' The drugs finally took effect as Harik lost consciousness and fell on top of Kai in the back seat.

''Aww, don't those deadbeats look cute together.'' Raia said sarcastically.

'Thanks for that, Hotshot.' Condor said to Yuuto while giving him a wink.

'No problem, he was doing my head in too.' He replied as he holstered his gun. 'I should be thanking you for getting him off our backs earlier.'

''No biggie. The name's Kesrtia by the way, but you can call me Kes.'' She replied as she stretched her wings up to loosen her muscles.

'As in Kestrel? I thought I recognised that wing pattern somewhere.' Yuuto responded as he looked her wings over.

''Heh, didn't take you for an ornithologist.'' Kestria teased the human with a smirk on her face.

'Hey, you two can flirt later once this job is over. Smith is probably waiting for us at the warehouse.' Raia interrupted the pair with a mischievous smile on her face.

Yuuto's face flushed red while Kestria lowered her wings and giggled to herself.

'Right, you take the lead, Raia.' He replied as he recomposed himself.

With that, the mummy put her helmet back on and raced off the way they came. Yuuto made a U-turn and sped off after her, while his harpy passenger turned on the radio to alleviate their stressful car chase.

'You like Visual Kei?' Kestria asked the human.

''I don't mind, have what you want on.''

* * *

Sometime later, back outside the warehouse, Smith had gathered Yuuto, Raia, and Kestria, while the other MON agents were rounding up the goblins, and the police were arresting the human criminals.

''Bishie-kun, I'd like you to meet your new squad mates.'' Kuroko said with a massive grin as she gestured towards the mummy and raptor harpy standing next to her.

''Didn't we have a conversation about letting me know about important things in advance not one week ago?'' Yuuto asked with a pained expression on his face and an annoyed tone to his voice.

'Oh, come now. You know how busy I get with all the homestays to manage and paperwork to fill out, not to mention managing all the MON agents.' She replied in a cheery tone, which only served to annoy the young man even more. 'Anyway, Officer Ogawa just arrived. I need to go tell him how we did his job for him again. See you later.' With that, Kuroko walked off, leaving Yuuto and his new squad mates to stare at her in disbelief.

'I swear she does this just to wind me up…' The blonde agent trailed off as he hung his head in defeat.

''C'mon, Hotshot. At least you've got a couple more badasses to help you out.'' Kestria replied with a cheeky grin as she nudged her elbow into the human's side.

''Well, I can't complain about that.'' He responded as he lifted his head up to meet her gaze.

Suddenly, Yuuto felt several strips of linen bandages wrap around his waist, before being tugged backwards into the grasp of a certain mummy, who draped her arms over his shoulders, and pressed her cheek against his.

''No need to act all shy around us, Medjay. We're practically family now.'' Raia whispered seductively into his ear, as she pressed her breasts against his back.

'Seriously, why do I get given all the weird nicknames?' Yuuto thought to himself as his cheeks burnt bright red.

'Raia, do you have to cling to our new captain in public like that, or are you that desperate for attention?' The harpy asked teasingly to her.

''Kes, I haven't felt the warmth of a man in nearly four millennia. Cut an undead girl some slack.'' She replied as the bandages around Yuuto tightened.

''Hey, do you mind loosening up a bit? I can't breathe.'' The human said as his face slowly turned blue.

'Oh, sorry.' Raia's face turned red with embarrassment as her bandages uncoiled from Yuuto and let him go.

'Thanks for that.' He replied weakly as he tried to catch his breath.

'Senpai, you seem to be very popular with liminal women.'

The trio looked to their right as they saw Kasumi staring at them expressionlessly. Behind her, Blare was running towards the group, shouting something about being left out.

'I just wish I knew why.' Yuuto replied before sighing to himself.

'I could think of a few reasons.' Kestria stated in a sultry voice.

Blare finally reached the group, her flame lashes flickering to life upon seeing Raia and Kestria. 'New squad mates?' She questioned Yuuto with an annoyed look on her face.

'Blare, Kasumi, meet Raia and Kestria.' He replied while pointing his thumbs at the mummy and harpy respectively.

'Sup.' Kestria said while waving a wing at the hellhound and empusa pair.

'Hope we get along.' Raia said with a curt nod.

''It's a pleasure to meet you both, I hope we get on well.'' Kasumi replied with a smile and a bow.

'Yeah, yeah, nice to meetcha…' Blare said unenthusiastically.

'Blare?' Yuuto said, not impressed with her half-hearted introduction.

She sighed to herself before speaking up. ''Sorry, still pissed about nearly getting run over earlier. If Stud says you're alright, then I've got no problem. No hard feelings?''

''Don't worry about it, Blare.'' Raia said with a sincere smile.

''Well, that's sorted at least.'' Yuuto said, relieved that his squad mates didn't try to rip each other apart this time round.

'Hey! Bravo!'

The group looked over to see Zombina shouting and waving at them.

''Smith says we're done for tonight! You guys can head back now!''

'Thanks Zee!' Yuuto shouted as he turned to his squad. ''You heard the lady. Let's head home.''

With that, the squad headed off towards their transport home, another job well done.

* * *

A/N: And here's a double whammy of new OC's, the oh so popular Raptor Harpy, and the somewhat elusive Mummy with the ability to manipulate her own bandages. Had to have an excuse to add a character that likes bondage, but without her having to be an arachne, not that I have a problem with them, just wanted something different. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the new chapter. Follow/favourite/review/suggest ideas if you wish to do so, and thank you all for reading.


	12. Bonus: What Yuuto likes

A/N: Hi everyone, there'll be a delay with the next chapter. Spent a few days writing it, only to find out that I wasn't happy with it, so I'll be re-writing it. For now though, to celebrate reaching 5000 views on the story, I thought it would be nice to give you guys a 'Bonus' chapter as thanks for your support. This'll be more laid back compared to what I normally write, plus it has more of a 'Fan Service' focus to it. Hope you guys enjoy, and thank you so much for the continued support.

* * *

Yuuto, Blare, and Kasumi were relaxing in the small communal area of their apartment complex, where there were several tables and chairs set up, with a few vending machines placed in the corner of the open area, overlooking the view of the local suburbs that were nearby. The trio were sat at one of the tables, casually talking about what came to mind, until Blare decided to spring a very personal question on her human squad captain.

'Hey Stud, what kind of fetish do you have?'

''…You expect me to answer that?'' Yuuto replied after a short pause with a hint of annoyance, furrowing his eyebrows at the hellhound, who just stared patiently at him, her tail wagging franticly and her flame lashes burning fiercely.

''Oh, c'mon Stud! Don't say you haven't snuck a peek at my amazing rack at least once!'' She exclaimed with a hint of pride, as she stood up from her seat and bent over to show off her cleavage to him. She was wearing a grey tank top with a short-sleeved black leather jacket on top, and a pair of blue short denim jeans. ''I know they're not in the same league as Tio's massive melons, but you've gotta admit, you'd want to motorboat these babies.'' She continued as a massive grin and a wink.

Yuuto's face went bright red at the sight of her cleavage, though he refused to be felled simply by a pair of breasts. ''Do you think I'd manage working with you girls if that was all it took to win me over?' He said, trying his best to keep his cool.

''I'm quite confident with my waist line, if I have to be honest.'' Kasumi said flatly, staring at the blonde agent. She then proceeded to stand from her chair, stretching her sickles above her head, as she pulled up the bottom half of her green t-shirt with her arms crossed, revealing her naval and her taut and curvy hourglass figure. 'It takes a lot of work to keep up a figure like this, Senpai.' The empusa continued as a slight smile formed on her lips and a light blush appeared on her cheeks.

'Damn, I wish I could pull that off.' Blare complemented her squad mate, which was a rare occurrence indeed.

''Okay, I can appreciate the work that goes into that figure of yours, but that's not it.'' Yuuto said while trying his best not to get embarrassed.

Kasumi pouted as she sat back down and pulled her shirt down. 'Some men just have no taste…' She said bitterly.

Just then, Kestria and Raia walked into the communal area, spotting the trio as they entered. Kestria was wearing a blue tank top and a pair of dark grey jeans which had zips running down the side of the legs. Raia on the other hand, was wearing a white t-shirt with a leather jacket on top, blue denim shorts, and a pair of black boot.

'Sup guys. What you up to?' Kestria asked in an upbeat tone and waving a wing at them.

'Probably trying to win the affections of our dear Medjay if I had to take a guess.' Raia said with a wry smile as she and Kestria took their seats at the table.

''Well, you're not far off with that…' Yuuto replied in dismay, wishing he was anywhere else right about now.

'We're trying to find out what Stud's fetish is, though it doesn't look like he's a tits or waists man…' Blare explained while pouting at him.

Kestria stared at Yuuto for a moment before speaking up. ''He's totally an ass man.'' She said giving him the 'Bedroom' eyes and a perverse grin. The raptor harpy then stood up and turned to face away from him, before bending over and showing off her tight ass to everyone. She then looked over her shoulder at the human, whose cheeks had gone crimson by this point, and gave him a wink. 'When it comes to a fine ass, no one beats me.' She continued in a sultry tone as she shook her hips from side to side.

'Kes, you do realise your panties are showing, right?' Yuuto asked as her looked away from the sight in front of him.

The harpy looked down at her rump, to find that the back of her pink laced panties was sticking out from under her jeans. 'That was the intention, Hotshot.' She replied seductively with her cheeks flushed red.

'And here I took you for a thong girl myself.' Blare stated with a massive grin, showing off her canines.

'You girls are relentless…' Yuuto groaned as he placed a palm over his face in embarrassment.

''Well, if anything, I'd say Medjay is a legs man.'' Raia stated as she pulled a spare chair next to her. She then proceeded to rest one leg on the back rest of the empty chair, while she tucked the other leg against her chest, showing off their curvaceous form, with her taut thighs and smooth calves covered in bandages, showing some of her smooth, lightly tanned skin. ''I don't think there's anyone would wouldn't appreciate legs like these.''

'They are certainly shapely at the very least.' Kasumi said as she stared at the mummy's legs in awe.

'If you want a legs man, you should meet my friend Kimihito, he absolutely loves them.' Yuuto said, hoping to get her attention off him.

''But I don't want his attention. You are a lot more pleasing to the eye, Medjay.'' The mummy replied in a sultry tone.

''Girls, I can tell that you all have your good points, but I'm not telling you what I'm into.'' Yuuto said as he sighed to himself. He wasn't sure how much more he could take of it.

''I canna say it is wise tae deny a woman o' her curiosity, Kazama.''

'AAHHH!'

Yuuto let out a short scream at the sudden new arrival sneaking up on him. He turned around to find Lala standing right behind him. She was wearing a white dress with a tight black trench coat on top and a short black corset around her torso, a long black scarf around her neck, thigh high black stockings, and a pair of loose fitting black boots.

''Jesus Christ, Lala! Don't sneak up on me like that!'' Yuuto exclaimed in shock, coming very close to having a heart attack.

''Where the hell did to come from?! I didn't even hear you come in!' Blare was obviously confused that her ears and her nose didn't pick up on the dullahan sooner.

''A knight o' Death canna reveal such a secret tae mere mortals.'' The dullahan replied in an overly dramatic tone.

'A shame. I could learn so much from you, Reaper.' Kasumi said dejectedly.

'Last time I checked, I stopped being mortal nearly four-thousand years ago.' Raia said with a cheeky grin on her face.

Lala blushed in embarrassment at her oversight, not realising there was a member of the undead amongst the group. ''Th-Th-That may be true, but as a reaper o' souls, I canna even allow a member o' the undead, such as yerself, know such a valued secret that I possess.'' Lala replied haphazardly, struggling to keep up her persona.

Yuuto sighed to himself as this was going on, before speaking up again. 'Anyway, what are you doing here? You know you can't…'' He trailed off as his eyes lay on her midriff, his cheeks flushed red and his mouth slightly ajar.

''I canna be restrained, like the ferryman o' the river Styx canna be stopped from…'' Lala trailed off as she noticed where he was staring. 'Kazama?'

Yuuto shook himself from his stupor at her prodding. 'Lala, do you always wear a corset under your waist guard?'

The dullahan blushed at his statement, breaking eye contact with the human. ''I-I-It is a personal preference. I believe it tae be suitable for me position in the cycle o' life and death.''

'Wait, corsets are what do it for you?!' Blare exclaimed in surprise.

''What? It's not any different to how some people get excited over stockings.'' The human replied, desperately trying to defend himself as his face went a brighter shade of red.

Lala gripped the hem of her skirt and crossed her legs, her face nearly the same shade of red as Yuuto's.

Kestria's smirked to herself as an idea popped into her head. She then got up from her seat and made her way to the dullahan. ''I dunno. I have a feeling that it might be just more that corsets he's into.'' She said as she stood behind Lala and placed her wings on the girl's shoulders, which caused her to flinch momentarily.

'Kes, what are you suggesting?' Yuuto asked the harpy as he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

She merely gave the blonde a wink before pushing the dullahan towards him. With a shocked expression, Lala fell on top of Yuuto, causing the pair to topple to the ground together with a yelp. Yuuto opened his eyes to find himself lying on his back, with Lala's body splayed on top of him with her butt stuck up in the air, resting on her knees, while her head lay not far from them, clearly dazed from the incident. Her skirt draped down to reveal her backside to the other members of Bravo squad.

'Well, what do you know. Black lace panties. Bet she has a matching bra too.' Kestria said with a smirk full of self-satisfaction.

'The hell was that for, Kes?!' Yuuto yelled in annoyance of the harpy's antics, though he didn't notice that a trail of blood was trickling from his nose.

'Well well, looks like we have a lingerie man, ladies.' Raia stated with a cheeky grin.

''That's good to know.'' Kasumi added flatly.

'Question, do any of you know where the nearest lingerie shop is?' Blare asked, clearly intrigued by the new-found possibilities the group had discovered concerning their squad captain.

'I know just the place.' Kestria replied as she started leading the group to their destination for the day. ''We'll catch you later, Hotshot. Don't go anywhere.''

'Seeya later, Stud.' Blare said with a wink before the group left his sight.

Once the other girls were gone, Yuuto and Lala eventually sat up and got off of each other. He handed the dullahan her head as they sat up, and she placed it back on her neck. For a while, the pair sat there awkwardly after the embarrassing incident, both still blushing and looking away from each other.

'You okay there, Lala?' Yuuto asked out of concern.

''I'll be fine, Kazama. Though I believe that I canna get married now after going through such an ordeal.'' Lala replied dejectedly as she twiddled her fingers.

''I wouldn't worry about that. I'm sure you'll still find a guy willing to except that.''

Lala looked towards him with a smile creeping onto her lips. 'You truly are an excepting soul, Kazama.'

'Well, I try my best.' He replied glancing back at her while rubbing the back of his head. He stood to his feet as he continued. ''Anyway, now that you're here, why don't we go get some ice cream? I know a good ice cream parlour nearby.'' He said as he extended a hand to the dullahan.

Lala's face brightened up as she took his hand. He helped her up onto her feet before she replied. ''Even a Spectre o' Death needs tae find time tae relax every now and again.''

''Great. C'mon, let's get going before Kimihito finds out you've gone missing.'' Yuuto teased as he took the lead.

''Very well, though I suggest ye stay ahead o' me on our journey.''

''Why's that?''

''Though I may appreciate the attention, I'd prefer ye tae keep yer eyes tae yerself for now, especially while the eyes of other mortals may gaze our way.'' Her face blushed furiously at her own statement, but her smile never left her face.

'Oh, right.' He replied as his face when bright red again, while a smile also crossed his face.

Now things would get interesting.


	13. Ain't no rest for the wicked

''Wait, you lived in a volcano?! That's fucking awesome!''

It was another beautiful summer day in Tokyo, and it was the MON team's day off. They all decided to go clothes shopping, much to Yuuto's dismay. He and his squad were also accompanied by Zombina and her team, so he had some life lines in the form of Manako and Doppel. As they were making their way to the local mall, Zombina took the chance to find out more about the girls in Bravo Squad, which had so far resulted in Blare being 'interrogated' about her homeland.

'Yeah, my clan live in the dormant volcano of Cerro del Azufre in Chile. Thankfully, there hasn't been an eruption there for centuries, even millennia.' Blare explained to the zombie with pride. She was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of dark blue denim jeans, as well as a studded collar around her neck.

'Makes sense for a hellhound.' Kasumi said flatly, thinking it obvious for Blare's species to survive in such a hostile environment. She was wearing a custom made green blouse with four sleeves, a pair of black shorts, and a pair of brown trainers.

'So, how did you get from a dormant volcano on the other side of the Pacific, all the way to Tokyo?' Zombina asked, her eyes full of curiosity. She was wearing a black tank top, green denim short shorts, her favourite red aviator jacket, and a pair of black boots.

While the conversation went on, Yuuto was thinking back on his last shopping trip with Zombina and her team, remembering when Tio nearly suffocated him in the changing rooms, and when one of Zombina's breasts feel off. He never felt so embarrassed in his life.

'Kazama-san?'

Yuuto was pulled back into reality by the meek voice of Manako, who was standing next to him. She was wearing a black tight-fitting blouse, a plaid skirt with the hem reaching her knees, and a pair of brown knee-high boots.

'Are you okay, Kazama-san?' She asked again with worry in her voice.

'Oh, yeah, just fine thanks. Just remembered what happened on our last shopping trip…' Yuuto replied with a hint of dread. He was wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, white trainers, and his fingerless gloves.

Manako blushed instantly thinking back on it herself. 'Yes, that was quite an eventful day…' She trailed off feeling rather embarrassed.

''Aww, c'mon you two. We're going to have a great time today.'' Tio interjected in her usually chipper voice.

The pair looked behind them to see the bubbly ogress, wearing a sky blue short sleeved blouse, a long white frilly skirt that reached just above her ankles, a pair of brown sandals, and a red beret resting atop her head and horn. Standing next to her was Doppel, wearing nothing but her hair as per usual, who was staring off into space looking rather bored.

''Seriously, why do I have to go clothes shopping? It's not like I need any…'' The doppelganger complained to no one in particular.

''Now now, Pel-chan. I'm sure you'll find some nice outfits to copy with your transformations.'' The blonde ogress reasoned as she lay her red eyes on her shape-shifting friend.

'…You have a point, I guess…' Doppel replied dejectedly, though she wouldn't enjoy spending her time being dragged around a clothing boutique.

''Well, I suppose it'll be interesting to say the least.'' Yuuto muttered to himself, trying to find the silver lining in this situation he found himself in.

''Oh, we'll make sure of that, Hotshot.'' The voice of a certain silver-haired harpy said in a mischievous tone.

In front of him and Manako was Kestria and Raia. Kestria was wearing a white tank top and green cargo pants designed for harpies. Raia was wearing a purple t-shirt, a short blue denim skirt, and a pair of white trainers.

''Yeah, Medjay. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.'' Raia added while giving him a wink.

''Somehow, I get the feeling that the two of you won't be letting me relax anytime soon.'' Yuuto replied, now suspicious of what the harpy and mummy pair might have planned for him.

'Wait, the Suicide Forest?!' Zombina exclaimed in surprise at the front of the group.

'Yes, my clan has resided in the deepest parts of the forest of Aokigahara for many generations.' Kasumi replied flatly. 'Most humans tend to keep to the outskirts of the forest.'

'Yeah, I could imagine why.' Blare stated feeling slightly uneasy.

'Well, at least everyone is getting along well enough.' Yuuto thought to himself as the group neared the shopping mall.

* * *

A few minutes later, Yuuto found himself in one of the clothing stores in the local shopping mall. The girls had decided that they needed new outfits and had dragged him in with them, though he managed to wriggle his way out of helping them pick out outfits.

'Geez, those girls can be exhausting at times.' He thought to himself as he wondered the aisles, trying to find the menswear section.

As he turned down one of the aisles, he came upon a strange sight. He saw the body of a headless woman, wearing a white dress with a tight black trench coat on top, a black corset, a long black scarf, black stockings that covered the woman's shapely blue legs, and a pair of loose-fitting black boots. The body was on all fours, frantically searching under the clothes racks, presumably for her head. He could only think of one person that fit that description.

'Goddammit Lala.' He sighed to himself as he approached the dullahan's body.

As he got closer, Lala's body seemed to react to his presence. She got up on her feet and started running towards him, before glomping him in a tight embrace. Yuuto was barely able to keep his balance as he grabbed her.

''Hey, it's okay.'' He said as he reassured the girl's body.

The body responded by tightening her grip around his chest.

''C'mon, calm down now. I'm sure your head can't have gone far.''

Her body loosened her grip, before clasping her hands at his shirt, as if pleading for help.

''Alright, I'll help you look.'' He replied with a sincere smile as he patted the girl's shoulder.

Lala's body let go of him and started jumping for joy.

'Her body is just too adorable sometimes.' Yuuto thought to himself as his cheeks went red. ''Okay, calm down a sec. I've got a plan to find your head, though I'm not sure if you'll like it.''

Her body stopped jumping and stood to face him. Yuuto stood next to her and lifted her arms up, before he started tickling the sides of her torso. 'Please be ticklish, Lala.' He thought to himself as he continued his assault.

Her body squirmed at the onslaught of tickling. After a few seconds of doing this, Yuuto swore he heard giggling from nearby, so he pressed on with his attack.

'Pfffft! Kazama, stop! T-This is nay the manner ye treat a Knight o' Death!' Lala's head blurted out in between fits of giggling.

'Jackpot!' He exclaimed as he made his way to where he heard her.

He lay down and looked under the clothes rack to see her head lying on its side, her cheeks flushed bright red, still recovering from his assault. She opened her eyes to look upon her rescuer before looking away in embarrassment.

'Found you.' He said with a cheeky grin.

''I-I-It seems our fates are very much intertwined, Kazama. It is as though ye enjoy the company o' death.'' She replied, trying to hide her embarrassment.

''Well, you seem to be fun to hang out with, so I'll take the risk.''

Lala looked back at him as a smile formed on her lips. 'It pleases me tae hear that. May I ask for yer assistance once again and return me tae me full potential?'

'One sec.'

He reached for her head and placed his hands on her cheeks, before pulling her from under the clothes rack. He stood up with Lala's head in his hands as her body waited in anticipation for her head's return.

'There you go.' He said cheerily as he personally placed Lala's head back onto her body, as her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.

Once he let go, Lala readjusted her head to make sure it was on properly. 'Ye have me thanks, Kazama. I canna imagine what fate would have awaited me, had ye not made a timely appearance.' She said sincerely, happy it was Yuuto that found her.

'Well, what can I say. My mom always told me I had impeccable timing.' He replied jokingly as he patted her head. ''Anyway, you should be more careful though. I can't guarantee I'll be around the next time you lose your head.''

Lala flinched as the human casually placed his hand atop her head, not used to receiving such affection. 'E-E-Even so, I believe ye would traverse the nine circles of Hell for me sake.' She said, genuinely appreciative of his efforts.

''Well I'm happy to keep an eye out for you. Still owe you for getting me out of Limbo, or whatever that field of flowers is meant to be.'' Yuuto replied as he continued to stroke the top of her head.

''Nay, it was yer will tae live that allowed ye tae leave Limbo. I merely showed ye the path tae yer rightful place.''

As the dullahan spoke, she noticed a small scar on Yuuto's forehead, just under his hairline and above his right eye. Without thinking, she reached up with her left hand, and gently caressed it with her fingers. His cheeks went red as he suddenly started to get embarrassed himself.

'Kazama, this mark…'

''Oh, that old thing? That was from when I saved that kid from drowning. If not for that, we probably would've never met.'' Yuuto answered as he remembered their first meeting.

Lala smiled at him as she continued to caress his scar. 'I am glad tae have met such an admirable mortal as yerself, Kazama.'

''I'm glad I met you too, but please, call me Yuuto. I'm a lot more comfortable with that.'' He replied with a sincere smile as he lifted his hand from her head.

'Hmm. So be it, Yuuto.' Lala removed her hand from his face as a smile formed on her lips.

'LALAAAAA!'

Suddenly someone yelled the dullahan's name from out of nowhere. Lala flinched and instinctively clung to Yuuto's chest for protection. His eyes widened from the sudden act, not expecting the girl to grasp onto him so tight. From a few aisles down, the pair saw Kimihito frantically searching for her.

'Over here, Kimihito!' Yuuto exclaimed, waving his hand to get his attention. He looked down at Lala who was still clinging to him. 'Hey, you alright there?'

She looked up at him, before her eyes widened, suddenly realising she was pressed up against the human. She hastily stepped away from him, careful to keep her head on her shoulders, and looked away from him.

''W-Worry not, I was merely caught off guard! Such a thing is nothing tae a Spectre o' Death!'' The dullahan protested overdramatically with a hand over her face, though her façade did little to hide her embarrassment.

'Good to hear.' He replied while stifling a laugh.

Kimihito finally reached the pair, relieved to see Lala was okay. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, blue denim jeans, and a pair of brown trainers. ''Thank goodness, you're okay, Lala. Where did you disappear to?'' He asked with a look of worry still on his face.

Lala was able to recompose herself before answering. ''I was in search for an outfit befitting a reaper o' death, when a denizen o' the Underworld knocked me off balance, and me head was sent careening into the abyss. Had it nay been for Yuuto here, me head would still be lost tae the abyss.'' During this monologue, she was striking various dramatic poses, finishing off the performance with her legs stood apart, the fingers of her left hand placed against her temple and cheek, and her right arm outstretched and pointing directly at Yuuto.

The two humans stood there, lost for words, until the MON agent spoke up.

''This 'Denizen of the Underworld', did she have short turquoise hair, green slit eyes with black sclera, purple horns, small wings, a long slender black tail with a heart-shaped tip, and stands about yay high?'' Yuuto asked as he stuck out his hand to his side to indicate the person's height.

''Y-Yes, and she did nay even concern herself with me wellbeing! Some people do nay show the proper respect for the guides o' lost souls!'' Lala was clearly upset that someone had put her head in jeopardy, and not bothered to apologies.

'Oh, for fuck sake. That girl will be the death of me…' Yuuto complained to himself as he placed a hand over his face in frustration.

'Wait, who are you talking about?' Kimihito asked looking quite confused.

''Lilith, she's causing trouble again…''

During his time with MON, Yuuto found himself, on several occasions, having to deal with the mischievous lesser devil running off on her own and manipulating people for her own entertainment. Despite her currently doing community service, she somehow wriggled her way out and started causing trouble again.

'Lala, when did she run into you?' Kimihito questioned the dullahan.

''Twas mere moments before Yuuto's arrival.'' Lala replied, finally calming herself down.

''Good, she can't have gone far.''

'Oh, Mistress! Tighter, please!'

The trio heard the voice of a young girl yelling at the top of her lungs in ecstasy. They looked towards where it was coming from, and found Rachnera standing in one of the aisles. She was wearing a black halter top that showed a lot of under boob, black shoulder-less sleeves, and a black loincloth over her pedipalps, all lined with gold trimmings and white frills in places. She seemed to be playing around with something, but Yuuto could guess that it was a certain little devil that she was tormenting with her webs, though Lilith seemed to be enjoying herself a little too much.

''C'mon, let's go.'' Yuuto said as he started making his way to the arachne, with Kimihito and Lala in tow

They reached Rachnera to find Lilith hanging from several strands of silk coming from her the arachne's carapace-covered hands, bound by her webs, as well as silk wrapped over her eyes. She was wearing a black and white hoodie with a horn design on the hood and a purple devil face over her left breast, blue denim short shorts that barely covered her modesty, a pair of black thigh high stockings and a pair of white trainers.

'Now now, Lilith. You have to work harder for that.' Rachnera said in a sultry tone, while sadistically playing with the lesser devil.

She continued until she saw the group approach her. She turned to face them with Lilith still held up between her silken threads, with a sinister grin plastered on her face. ''Hey Honey. I found this little fly wondering around by herself, so I thought I'd keep her company.''

''Nice catch, Rachnera, though could you not do any bondage play while we're in public please?'' Yuuto asked as his cheeks went red.

'Wait, Blondy?!' Lilith exclaimed in anger, still bound by the webbing. 'What the fuck are you doing here?!'

''I could ask you the same thing, Lilith. Shouldn't you be doing public service right now?'' He asked the lesser devil in a grim tone.

After a moment of silence, a sinister grin crept onto Lilith's face before she answered. ''Like you actually care. I bet you're only doing this just to get brownie points from the exchange program, probably because you didn't get enough praise froOWOWOWOWOWWW!'' Lilith's tirade was cut short by Yuuto pinching her cheek.

'Um, Yuuto? Is that really necessary?' Kimihito questioned his friend, only to have the blonde stare daggers at him, which caused the liminal host and Lala to flinch momentarily.

Yuuto returned his frightful gaze towards the lesser devil as he loosened his vice-like grip on her cheek and removed her silk blindfold. Even Lilith flinched under his gaze.

''I'm not in the mood for your games, Lilith. Do you have any fucking idea how lucky you are to be in the exchange program?'' The MON agent asked, barely containing his anger.

Lilith could only look away, too guilt-ridden to answer him directly. After a moment, she responded by nodding her head.

Yuuto sigh to himself as he tried to calm himself down, causing his face to soften before he continued speaking. ''Listen, I'm not going to pretend that I know the first thing about devil culture, nor am I going to pretend to know what's caused you to be this way, but your actions are causing problems for a lot of people. If you keep this up, I wouldn't be surprised if the government decided to deport you. As for what you said earlier, I'm sure there are plenty of people that care about you, despite your attitude. Hell, I can guess that Rachnera is one of them.''

Lilith's eyes widened at the mention of her mistress' name, now quite believing what the human in front of her was saying.

''He's right, you know.'' Rachnera spoke up with a sincere smile, which caused the lesser devil to look up at her in surprise. ''It's nice to have someone who's willing to be tied up in my webbing, plus you're fun to talk to. Honestly, I'd be a little sad if you had to go like that.''

'Mistress…' Lilith replied as tears started to well up in her eyes.

Yuuto smiled at the sweet moment between the two liminals, though he wasn't finished with his little speech. ''Look Lilith, I'm not telling you to change who you are, but if you can promise me that you won't cause any more trouble by running off and causing mischief, then I'll pretend this little incident never happened, okay?''

Lilith was surprised by his genuine sincerity, though she still didn't feel comfortable looking him in the eye. 'Sure, I can do that.' She replied dejectedly.

''Okay. I'll phone Polt to let her know where you are.'' Yuuto pulled out his phone and searched for the kobold's contact details before turning his attention to the arachne. ''Rachnera, can you keep an eye on her for a sec while I do this? I doubt she'll be running off anywhere in a hurry though.''

'Sure thing, Kazama.' She replied as she started freeing the lesser devil from her bonds.

While this was happening, Lala and Kimihito just stood there, impressed by what just happened.

'Yuuto is truly incredible for a mortal.' The dullahan said out loud as her cheeks went red.

''Well, he's always been a 'no nonsense' kind of guy, and he can be kind of scary when he wants to be, but overall, he's a caring guy underneath it all.'' Kimihito explained to her with a sense of pride.

''Indeed. Even the lords o' the Underworld would do well to avoid his wrath.'' Lala replied in her usually dramatic tone.

''That's one way to put it, I guess.''

As the pair were talking, Lilith walked up to Lala.

'Hey, Dullahan.'

Lala looked down to see the lesser devil with her hood on and her wings tucked away under her hoodie, looking somewhat solemn.

''Listen, I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I was kind of acting like a bitch and caused trouble for you because of it. Can you forgive me?'' Lilith said apologetically while avoiding eye contact with her.

A smirk crossed Lala's face as she was about to answer the lesser devil's apology. ''Ye are forgiven, though please try tae avoid assaulting any agents o' death in the future if it can be avoided.'' She replied dramatically.

'Okay…' The lesser devil replied, slightly weirded out by Lala's 'Chuunibyou-ness'.

''Okay Polt, I'll see you in a few. Later.'' Yuuto hung up the call and pocketed his phone before turning to face the group. ''She said it shouldn't take her long to get here. Let's wait outside the store for her.'' He said as he made his way to the front of the store, gesturing for the group to follow him.

They all nodded to his suggestion and began to follow him.

* * *

It didn't take long for Polt to meet up with them just outside the store. The kobold was extremely relieved to see that Lilith was okay, and apologised profusely for Lilith's actions, though Yuuto said not to worry about it. Polt waved goodbye as she and the lesser devil left to return to what they were doing earlier, though Lilith was too deep in thought to do the same, too busy reflecting on what the MON agent had told her earlier.

As the pair disappeared into the crowd, Rachnera spoke. ''It's rare to see her act like that. To be honest, it kind of worries me.'' She said with a hint of concern in her voice.

''Well, I guess she's really taking what I said to heart.'' Yuuto replied solemnly.

''True, though maybe you might've been a bit too harsh on her.'' Kimihito interjected, feeling sorry for the girl.

'Honey, someone eventually had to be blunt with Lilith, and I for one, am glad that Kazama had the balls to do so.' Rachnera replied with a sincere smile on her face.

'Maybe, but I feel kind of like a dick for handling it the way I did though.' Yuuto said as he rubbed the back of his head.

'Sometimes, there are necessary evils that have tae be committed for the Greater Good.' Lala replied in a dramatic tone with a hand over her face.

Yuuto glanced at the dullahan and smirked to himself. ''Well, that's one way of putting it.''

'Darling!'

The group looked back to see Miia, Centorea, Mero, Papi and Suu, all wearing their usual casual attire, and holding several shopping bags each.

'Hey girls. You all done?' Kimihito asked, curious about what they bought on their shopping trip.

''Yeah, I'm sure you'll love to see what I got.'' Miia replied seductively.

'Yes, my Beloved. I am happy with my purchase, and I do so hope you enjoy seeing me in it as well.' Mero said joyously with her webbed hands pressed together.

'Indeed Milord. I was able to procure an outfit of my liking, though I do wish this establishment had more to offer in my, *Ahem* specific requirements.' Centorea stated, her cheeks gone red with embarrassment.

'Papi found a load of cool tops and shorts too!' The blue-haired harpy shouted excitedly.

'They look cute.' Suu added with a smile on her face.

'Good to hear.' Kimihito replied, before realising that Rachnera and Lala didn't get anything themselves. ''Rachnee. Lala. Do the two of you want to get something while we're still here?''

''I'll be fine, Honey. I've got plenty of outfits to work with, plus I can make my own if you haven't forgotten.'' The arachne replied teasingly as she lightly prodded his cheek with one of her fingers, careful not to hurt him.

''Heh, that's a good point.'' He responded, laughing nervously to himself.

'Worry not, I am able tae suffice with what I have tae tackle whatever misfortune that may await us.' Lala said grimly with a hand held proudly over her chest.

''You know, it doesn't hurt to splash out every once in a while, Lala.'' Yuuto replied, causing the dullahan to blush furiously, though he didn't notice the smile on her lips.

''Anyway, we should get going, girls. It's almost time to start making dinner.'' Kimihito said out loud as he started to feel hungry.

The girls all responded with variations of acknowledgement as he turned to face Yuuto. ''Thanks again for your help with Lala. She's always losing her head when we're out.''

'No worries man. What are friends for?' The blonde replied with a massive grin and his hands held behind his head.

'Yuuto?'

The pair of humans turned to see Lala standing next to them, twiddling her fingers while avoiding their gaze.

''Hey Lala, what's up?'' Yuuto asked, curious about what she wanted.

'Can I ask ye a favour? If it is possible, could ye perhaps, be able tae allow me tae call upon ye, whenever it may be needed?' The dullahan asked, her cheeks bright red.

'You mean you want my phone number?'

Lala merely nodded her head, trying to avoid having it fall off, as she locked eyes with him.

''Sure, I'd be happy to.'' He continued as he gave her a sincere smile.

Lala smiled back at him as she produced a mobile phone seemingly out of nowhere.

'Mayhap ye can activate this relic, I canna seem tae grasp its power yet.' She said with a sense of disappointment.

Yuuto stifled a laugh as he accepted her phone, and proceeded to add her number to his phone, and vice versa. Once he was done, he handed her back her phone. ''There you go. I've also added your number to my phone, so I can get in touch with you too. If you have any trouble with it, just ask Kimihito or one of the girls for help.''

'Ye never cease tae amaze me, Yuuto.' She replied as she put the phone away.

''It's not that impressive, Lala.'' He said while chucking to himself, finding her amazement of mundane devices adorable.

''Well, if that's everything, then let's get going.'' Kimihito said to the dullahan, before turning to his friend. ''I'll see you around, Yuuto.''

'Yeah. See you later, Kimihito.'

'Oh, one more thing.' Lala said to grab Yuuto's attention again.

'Sure, what is it?'

Lala stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her cheek against his chest with a smile on her face. Yuuto's face went red at the sudden affection, though he returned the hug with a smile of his own.

'Take care, Lala.'

'As should ye, Yuuto.'

With that, they broke the hug, and Lala started making her way home with Kimihito and the others.

'Until we meet again.' She said as she waved at him.

'See you soon.' Yuuto replied waving her off.

When the group left his sight, he dropped his hand and sighed to himself. 'Damn, she is way too cute.' He muttered to himself, though he didn't notice the linen bandage wrapping around his waist. 'Guess I should check up on the othAAAAAHHHHHH!'

Yuuto was sent flying backwards, landing hard on the floor, before being dragged along the aisles backwards by the bandage. As he was dragged along, he saw that he was speeding towards a pair of young women wearing skirts.

'LOOK OUT!' He shouted as he covered his face with his arms.

The pair of women screamed as they dodged to the side, holding their skirts down as he flew by.

'SOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY!' He yelled as he disappeared around the corner.

After a few more seconds of being dragged along the floor at high speed, he slowed down and eventually came to a stop. When he felt it was safe to remove his arms from his face, he unfolded his arms, only to be greeted by a pair of blue and white stripped panties hidden under a blue denim skirt. He looked up to see the deep green eyes of a certain mummy he was well acquainted with. She had a wry smile on her face as she looked down on him.

'Like what you see, Medjay?' Raia asked in a sultry voice.

*Sigh*'If I say yes, will you let me go?' Yuuto asked dryly.

Raia giggled to herself at his response for a moment before she stepped to the side and crouched down next to him, much to the human's relief. ''You could've at least put some more effort into it.'' She replied as she unravelled the bandages around Yuuto's waist.

Now free, he sat up straight and looked the girl in the eye. ''You know, you could've just called me if you wanted to talk.'' The human said exhaustedly, rubbing the back of his head.

'And where would the fun in that be?' Raia replied with a grin plastered on her face as she placed a hand on his head and rustled his hair. ''Anyway, didn't I tell you earlier to sit back and relax?''

'Well, being dragged along the ground in a clothing store at high speed is hardly what I call relaxing…' He trailed off, hanging his head in defeat.

'I like to keep things interesting.' The mummy replied as she stood back up and extended a hand to him. 'And sorry if that caused you any trouble, Medjay.'

Yuuto looked up to the girl with a smile and grapped her hand. With that, Raia pulled him up to his feet before letting go of his hand.

'Okay, I have to know. Why Medjay, and what does it even mean?' Yuuto asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

''Back when I was still alive, Medjay was the name my people gave to our military, though today, they'd be more comparable to your police force.'' Raia replied matter-of-factly.

'Okay, starting to make sense.' Yuuto said with a hand on his chin and nodding to himself.

Raia chuckled momentarily before she continued. 'As for the why, I believe that should be obvious.'

'What do you mean?' The blonde asked with a quizzical look on his face.

With that, Raia took his left hand, and held held it between her own hands. ''Think about it. The night we first met, you were so focused on capturing the two ringleaders, you put yourself in harm's way to get the job done. You even flawlessly executed a plan with people you had never met before.'' As she talked, she had slowly guided him in front of the changing rooms nearby. ''Honestly, skill like that deserves praise, and I cannot think of any better way of honouring your courage and skill than by giving you the title of my people's guardians and protectors. You deserve that much, Medjay.'' As she concluded, a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.

'Geez, the way you speak, it makes you sound like you were a queen at one point' He replied jokingly.

'A queen, no. But I was a princess back when I was alive though.'

'…Wait, seriously?'

''Yes, but that's not important right now. What is important is what I have to say to you.'' She paused for a moment as she let go of his hand, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. ''You are a fine young man, Medjay, and I'm honoured to have you as my captain.'' Raia continued as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment.

Yuuto stayed silent for a moment as his mummy squad mate tightened her grip on him. He smiled as he returned the hug. 'Glad to have you on the squad too, Raia.'

After a moment or two, the pair broke the hug, stepping back from each other, both their faces flushed red.

Yuuto looked around to see where they were. 'Wait, how did we get in front of the changing rooms?'

'Whatever do you mean?' Raia asked innocently with a cheeky grin on her face.

'Well, I mean why did you drag me over…' He cut himself of as alarm bells were going off in his head.

'' _Well, I suppose it'll be interesting to say the least.''_

'' _Oh, we'll make sure of that, Hotshot.''_

'' _Yeah, Medjay. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.''_

''…You two set up a trap, didn't you?'' He asked with a nervous look on his face.

Raia just nodded to him in silence before pushing his backwards towards one of the changing cubicles.

As Yuuto was stumbling backwards, a yellow scaled talon came shooting out from behind the curtain, latching onto the back of his jeans, and pulled him into the cubicle. As he was flung in, the talon let go of him, before he hit the back of the cubicle. Without being given the chance to slump down, someone pressed themselves against his chest, pinning him against the wall. He opened his eyes to find Kestria pressing herself against him, with her wings clinging onto his shoulders. She was staring into his eyes seductively, giving him the 'bedroom' eyes, before he realised that the harpy was wearing nothing but a black laced bra and a pair of black laced panties. He quickly looked away with his cheeks now a bright crimson, as he gripped his nose tightly with the thump and finger of his left hand.

'Enjoying the show, Hotshot?' Kestria asked in a sultry voice, giving him a wink as her own cheeks flushed red.

'Kes, what the hell are you playing at?' The human asked sounding rather annoyed.

''What? Can't a girl have some fun with her favourite human?'' She replied trying to act innocent. 'Besides, I wanted your opinion on how I look in these.' She continued as she stepped away from him to flaunt off her body in the black lingerie. 'What do you think?' She asked as she struck a sexy pose, winking at him.

'I think you can take a guess from my earlier reaction…' Yuuto replied as he looked the harpy in the eye, still gripping his nose tight to avoid a nosebleed.

Kestria giggled to herself before replying. ''I have to admit, you are pretty cute when you're flustered.'' She continued as she held her wings behind her back.

''I'm pretty sure there's more to this than just flaunting off your new lingerie.'' He said as he tried to calm himself down.

'You got me, Hotshot. I wanted some alone time with you, so we could get to know each other better.' Kestria replied sincerely.

''You know, we could've done this without you tormenting me like this.'' Yuuto said with his eyebrows now furrowed.

''True, but then I'd miss out on the fun of watching you squirm.'' Kestria replied in a teasing tone.

Yuuto sighed to himself in frustration as the harpy giggled at his reaction. 'So, what do you want to know?'

Kestria sauntered over to him, before she turned around and rested her back against him. She turned her head to the side to face him before she replied. ''It's obvious that you're Japanese, but last time I checked, blonde people in Japan is kind of a rarity. Care to explain that?''

''I have my mom to thank for that. She's originally from America, but she moved to Japan about 30 years ago. She met my dad in Osaka not long after, they got married, and they had me and my little sis, Hikari, though after a while, they broke up. My mom moved back to Idaho to be with her side of the family, while me, Hikari, and my dad moved here to Tokyo. Lived here ever since.''

''Wow, aren't you the talkative one.'' Kestria wasn't expecting such a long-winded answer from him.

''Sorry about that, get carried away sometimes.'' He replied while rubbing the back of his head, feeling embarrassed.

''No biggie. I'm actually from the States myself.'' Kestria said with a sincere smile on her face.

'Oh, where about?'

''As you know, harpies are a migratory species, so my tribe tends to move around a lot. Thankfully, we haven't had to worry about staying hidden since the Exchange Bill was put into place. Back in the early days, my people used to make regular contact with the native Americans, well, until the colonists from Europe arrived. The raptor harpy tribes went into hiding after that.'' She explained, now feeling less enthusiastic than she was earlier.

'So, what brought you to Japan then?'

''It's a long story. Basically, I needed space from my tribe, and I heard about the good work MON was doing over here, so I got in touch with the Interspecies Cultural Exchange, and they hooked me up with this.'' She said as she looked away from the human, the smile on her face fading.

'You okay, Kes?' Yuuto asked out of concern.

''Yeah, it's fine. It's just, I really miss them sometimes.'' She continued, starting to feel depressed.

Without warning, Yuuto placed a hand on top of her head and gently rubbed it. Kestria looked back up at him, surprised by the sudden petting of her head.

''I may not know what happened between you and your tribe, but I'm sure they miss you too. And if it makes you feel any better, I'm glad you came and joined us, and I'm sure the others feel the same way.''

Kestria smiled at the statement, thankful for having such a caring captain. ''Thanks Hotshot. I needed that.'' She replied as she stepped away from him and leant against the wall to the right of him. 'Sorry about dragging you in here like that, I just needed to get that off my chest.'

'No worries.' Yuuto said as he pushed himself from the wall and stood to face the harpy. 'Listen, if you ever want to talk to me, just ask.'

''Sure thing. I'd better let you get going anyway. People might think we're fucking in here.'' Kestria said teasingly, which caused Yuuto to blush in embarrassment.

'Do you always have to lower the tone?' He said with his eyebrows furrowed.

'You know you love it.' She replied, giving him a wink.

Yuuto sighed to himself as he made his way out the cubicle. ''I'll see you in a bit, Kes.''

'Later.' Kestria replied with a wave of her wing.

As he stepped out, he saw Raia leaning on the wall next to the cubicle with her arms folded.

'Did you two have fun in there?' The mummy said teasingly, giving him a wink.

'Very funny.' Yuuto replied plainly. ''I'm going to wait outside if you need me, need some fresh air.''

''Don't let me stop you.'' She said with a sincere smile on her face. 'See you in a bit.'

'Seeya.' He replied with a wave of the hand as he made his way out the store.

When he was gone, Kestria poked her head out of the cubicle to see where he was going.

''Medjay is something else, isn't he?'' Raia asked the inquisitive harpy.

''Yeah, seems like a sweet and caring guy. Helps that he's hot as fuck too.'' Kestria replied with her cheeks flushed red.

'No denying that.'

* * *

Yuuto was sat outside the store on one of the public benches, his head laid back on the back rest along with his outstretched arms with his eyes closed. After what happened today, he needed some peace and quiet from the girls, even if it was only for a few minutes. As he let his mind wonder, a shadow loomed over him. Noticing the presence, he opened an eye to see Zombina standing in front of him, her heterochromatic eyes staring down at him.

''Geez Beesh, you look like you've been through Hell and back.'' The red head said with her signature grin.

''Might as well have with what I've been through so far today.'' He replied unenthusiastically. 'You girls done shopping yet?'

Zombina sat down next to the exhausted human while stretching her arms. ''Yeah, they're just getting their stuff through the check out now. Tio was struggling to find something in her size, as per usual.''

'I do feel sorry for her sometimes. Everyday life here is just too small for her.' Yuuto replied as he sat up straight.

''Yeah, though she's not the only one with problems.'' Zombina said as she glanced at him.

'Such as…' He said with a quizzical look on his face.

'You really seemed to have gotten popular lately.' She replied teasingly as she elbowed the human in his side.

''No idea why. I'm not anything special.''

''Blare and the other girls on your squad seem to think so. Almost looks like you're trying to start a harem like Loverboy has.'' Zombina replied, still teasing him.

Yuuto sighed to himself as the zombie stated to laugh out loud.

'Hey, Stud!'

The pair looked back towards the store they were in earlier to see Blare and the other MON agents making their way to the squad captains.

'Hey, you all finished?' Yuuto asked, eager to get back home.

'Yep! Can we stop by somewhere to get something to eat though?! I'm starving here!' The hellhound complained with her tail stood on end and her flame lashes burning furiously.

''I agree. I heard that there's a really good sushi place nearby.'' Kasumi added flatly, accompanied by her growling stomach.

''Yeah, that's a great idea!'' Tio exclaiming cheerily, most likely wanting to cheer herself up after the ordeal she went through to find an outfit in her size.

The other girls all nodded in agreement at the idea.

''Well, you heard them, Beesh! Let's eat!'' Zombina shouted as she stood up and started leading the group to the nearby sushi restaurant.

'Sure, why not.' Yuuto replied with a smile on his face as he stood up and fell in line with the girls.

They may make his life difficult at times, but he wouldn't have them any other way.

* * *

Back at Yuuto's apartment, the tap in his kitchenette was dripping, though it wasn't water that was dripping out into the washing-up bowl, but rather, a strange orange goo…

* * *

A/N: Holy crap! We've already reached 6000 views and 50 follows! Sorry, starting to sound like Blare... Anyway, sorry about the wait on this chapter, and it's the longest one yet! I wanted to make sure I got this one right, with wanting to expand on Raia and Kestria a bit, as well as other things. Also, another cliffhanger, and possibly another new character to come along with the next chapter. As always, follow and favourite if you enjoyed the story so far, and don't forget to leave a review or any suggestion that could make this story better. Thank you as always for reading.


	14. The Slime and the Sword

It was nearly dusk, and Yuuto and the girls were on their way back home from the sushi restaurant. The girls had all enjoyed the meal, especially Kasumi, who spent most of the meal being awe-struck by the turntable which ferried all the different sushi dishes around the bar. Everyone had a fair helping of food, and they all decided to pay for themselves, much to Yuuto's relief. While chatting as they came through the front entrance, the receptionist from the front desk called out to the human.

''Kazama-san, there's a package here for you.''

Yuuto turned to see a young human woman with long brown curly hair and blue eyes, wearing a white button-up shirt, a black skirt, a black tie, black high heels, and a pair of slim, red-framed glasses. There was also a long, rectangular cardboard package on the desk. He made his way to the front desk with a look of confusion.

''For me? I haven't even ordered anything since I moved in.'' He replied as he scratched the side of his head.

''Well, it was addressed to you. Perhaps it's a parcel from a relative.'' The woman replied with a smile on her face.

Yuuto was looking over the package to see that was the case. He found a hand-written label, with his name, and the address of the apartment building.

''Yeah, that's definitely me alright, but who could've sent it?'' He puzzled as he continued to search for the sender's address.

''Maybe you've got a secret admirer, Beesh.'' Zombina said teasingly from right behind him, with a massive grin on her face.

''I've already got Kasumi keeping an eye on me. I don't need a full-on stalker on top of that.'' Yuuto replied in an annoyed tone with his eyebrows furrowed.

''Maybe he bought a load of flesh lights and doesn't want us to find out.'' Doppel suggested with a mischievous grin from the other side of him.

'…Doppel, I really worry about what goes on in that head of yours sometimes.' He responded, raising an eyebrow at the doppelganger's remark.

'Wait! What was that about Stud getting flesh lights?!' Blare yelled in shock and the sudden discovery. ''Why would you want one of those when you've got me right next door?!''

The blonde's face went red with embarrassment at the hellhound's outburst. ''Okay! First of all, there are no flesh lights! Secondly, you know it's illegal for the two of us to have sex!'' He shouted out in response.

'So, that means you would if it was legal?!' She exclaimed excitedly, her tail wagging now a blur and the flames from the corner of her eyes blazing brightly, her eyes full of hope.

'I NEVER SAID THAT!' Yuuto practically screamed in protest at Blare's insinuation.

'Geez Stud. You can be really stingy sometimes…' Blare pouted as her ears pressed against her head, and her tail drooped in disappointment.

Zombina was laughing hysterically at the exchange, while Doppel was snickering to herself. The poor woman behind the desk just stood there in shock, surprised by the sudden vulgar conversation taking place in the public lobby of the apartment building.

'E-E-Excuse me, Kazama-san. C-Can you reframe from talking about illegal illicit activities so openly in public please?'

Yuuto turned back to the young woman behind the desk. 'You did hear me say no, right?'

'E-Even so, this is not the place to be conversing about such matters.' She replied shyly, finding the whole situation rather awkward.

''…My apologies for me and my friend's vulgar comments. This will not be a regular occurrence, I assure you.'' He apologised, bowing before the woman, in hopes of defusing the situation.

''I-It's quite alright, make sure it doesn't happen again.'' The woman replied with a timid smile.

'Of course.' Yuuto stood up straight again as he started to re-examine the package that arrived for him. ''C'mon, there has to be a return to sender address here somewhere.'' He muttered to himself, as Zombina, Doppel, and Blare, checked out the package from over his shoulder. 'Ah, here it is. Mr Takahiro Kaza…' He paused suddenly once he realised who it was from.

''Beesh, what's wrong?'' Zombina asked out of concern from the sudden pause.

''…It's from my father…'' Yuuto was barely audible when he mentioned this, though it was clear by the now troubled look on his face that the mere mentioning of his father did not please him in the slightest.

''Your dad? Don't you guys…'' Blare's question was cut short when Doppel put a hand on the hellhound's shoulder. Turning her head to face the doppelganger, she saw that the small woman was shaking her head a her with a disapproving look on her face.

''It's obvious that he doesn't want to talk about it, so let it be, Pup.''

'But…' Blare wanted to protest, but was cut short again as Yuuto spoke up.

''It's alright, Blare. It's just that me and my father haven't been on good terms for a while. It's a long story I'd rather not talk about right now.'' Yuuto said with a sad smile, still looking down at the package.

Blare quietly placed a padded hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, which caused Yuuto to look back up at the girl, whose face was full of concern.

''Thanks Blare. I'll be alright''

Blare returned a smile, though she was still worried about what was going on with him.

Yuuto picked up the package in one hand and rested it against his shoulder once Blare had removed her hand. He then bowed towards the receptionist. 'Thank you for accepting the package for me while I was out.'

''It's no trouble, Kazama-san. Enjoy the rest of your evening.'' The woman replied with a wave as the group left the front desk and made their way towards the elevator.

'So, what do you think it is?' Zombina asked curiously as she pressed the call button for the elevator.

''Not sure, but I don't like the fact that he just sent it without informing me.'' Yuuto replied, just as the door opened.

The group stepped into the elevator, with Zombina pressing the button for the third floor, and Yuuto pressing the button for the fourth floor. The doors then shut in front of them, and Yuuto rested the package on its end next to him, before the elevator started ascending.

''What's wrong with that, Newbie?'' Doppel asked in a sceptical tone.

Yuuto's face had a troubled look on it once again as he continued. 'He only ever does anything that benefits him directly. I can't help but find this gift from him suspicious.''

As if sensing his anxiety, Zombina placed a hand on his shoulder, and gently squeezed it in an attempt to comfort him. ''Don't worry, Beesh. I'm sure it's something good for you. Maybe he just wants to make amends.'' She said with her signature grin.

Yuuto looked back to the laid-back zombie with a smile of his own. 'I wish I could be as optimistic as you sometimes.'

The elevator dinged as it reached the third floor, shortly followed by the doors opening.

'Well, this is our stop. Take care.' Doppel said with a smile and a wave.

Before Zombina followed after the doppelganger, she pulled her human comrade into a hug, which he reciprocated. ''Cheer up, I'll come by and check on you later, okay?''

'Sure thing, and thanks for the support, as always.'

'No problem.' She replied as she broke off from the hug and left the elevator. 'Seeya later, Beesh!' She exclaimed with a wave.

'Later Zee.' He replied as he waved back at her, before the doors shut once more, and the elevator started making its way to the fourth floor.

Blare could sense that her captain was still feeling uneasy in regard to his father's 'gift', and it was eating at her to see him this way. She stood next to him so they were shoulder to shoulder, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

''Stud, you know I'm always here for you if you need me, right?'' The hellhound asked, trying her best to reassure her friend.

Yuuto looked down at her to see her face full of concern. Feeling guilty about worrying her, he placed a hand on top of her head and stroked her gently.

'Yeah, and I really appreciated it. Thanks Blare.' He smiled down at her as he started to gently rub her ears.

Blare couldn't help but nuzzle her head against his shoulder as she beamed up at him with her cheeks red and her tail wagging joyfully at the affection she was receiving. ''I'm going to have to say that more if this is the treatment I'm going to get.'' She replied, glad that she managed to make him feel a bit better at least.

''Don't start expecting it every time you get me to smile, got it?''

'I make no promises.' Blare replied, winking at him and sticking out her tongue.

The elevator dinged once more as they reached the fourth floor and the doors opened in front of them. Blare stepped out while Yuuto picked up his package and followed after her. As they neared their apartments, they saw that Kasumi was waiting outside for them in front of Yuuto's front door.

''Hey Kasumi, what's up?'' Yuuto asked, unsure as to why the empusa was waiting outside his apartment.

Upon hearing her name, Kasumi looked towards their direction as a smile crossed her face. ''Senpai, we didn't get chance to talk while we were out today, so I thought we could get the chance to catch up now.''

'Yeah, looks like you were having fun at the store earlier, Stud, and without us too.' Blare added teasingly with a wink.

''Well, I guess I can make time for you two now. Not like I'm in any rush to open this thing.'' Yuuto replied as he placed the package down to retrieve the key to his apartment from his pocket.

'Why not? I was under the assumption that humans enjoyed receiving gifts from one another.' Kasumi checked the exterior of the package over while Yuuto was opening the front door of his apartment.

''It's a long story I'd rather not talk about right now.'' Yuuto replied with a grimace. With the door now open, he picked up the package and walked inside. 'Anyway, make yourselves at home, girls. You two want tea? Coffee? Maybe some beers?'

Blare and Kasumi followed him inside at his request, both looking forward to putting their feet up.

'Coffee sounds great right about now!' Blare exclaimed as she stretched her arms before taking a seat at the couch.

'Could I have tea please? Milk and no sugar thank you.' Kasumi answered politely as she took her seat at the opposite end of the couch.

Yuuto placed the package on his bed before making his way to the kitchenette to fill the kettle with water. ''Sure thing, it'll take a couple of…'' He lost his train of thought when he discovered the contents of the sink bowl. 'What the hell?'

'What is it Stud?' Blare asked with a look of concern, while Kasumi got up from her seat to investigate the sink.

'I think it might be easier if you see it for yourself.' Yuuto replied as he was struggling to make sense of his discovery.

Blare begrudgingly got up from her seat to see what the big deal was. ''Seriously, what could be so interesting about what's in the HOLY CRAP! WHAT IS THAT?!''

What the three MON agents saw was a pool of orange liquid in the sink bowl. It looked gooey in nature, but the substance did look familiar to Yuuto and Blare.

'I think it might be a slime. Thought you would remember what one looks like considering you were immersed in one just last week.' He replied with a chuckle at remembering the hellhound's misfortune.

''You don't need to remind me, Stud!'' Blare shouted in annoyance, remembering the unpleasantness of the experience of swimming inside a slime. 'How did it even get in here?!'

'I can only presume it came in through the plumbing.' Kasumi explained as she examined the orange goo.

'Hmmm, I wonder…'

Without hesitation, Yuuto stuck out the index finger of his right hand, and prodded the substance in the sink to see if it was truly a slime they were dealing with. The instant he made contact, a pair of yellow orbs opened up on the surface of the goo. Blare flinched backwards while Yuuto quickly yanked his finger from the slime. After a moment, two small stubs formed on the surface, along with a tendril with a yellow tip that draped over the right orb, which was presumably the slime's eye. Not long after, the slime condensed itself into a sphere, and placed its stubs on the edge of the bowl and looked over the rim towards the human. After calming down, Yuuto crouched down so he was at eye level with the orange slime.

'Hey there. What are you doing here?' Yuuto asked the slime in a friendly tone as a smile crossed his face.

The slime raised one of its stubs and waved at him, now feeling more comfortable around the three MON agents.

Yuuto chuckled at the adorable gesture and waved back at the slime. ''It's nice to meet you too.''

'I wonder if it understands us…' Blare muttered to herself as she crouched down next to Yuuto.

The slime turned to face the hellhound and nodded at her.

'It seems intelligent at least.' Kasumi added as she also knelt down next to Yuuto. 'I hear slimes are very quick learners and have excellent memories on top of that.'

As if to prove her point, the slime decided to climb out of the bowl and onto the work surface, and slowly inched its way to the tap. It then turned on the cold water and filled up the bowl she was found in. It then turned off the tap again, and proceeded to dip its feeler into the bowl of water, and started to suck it up.

''I guess she's thirsty. Maybe she might be hungry too.''Yuuto reasoned before he stood up and made his way to the fridge. He opened the fridge door to find a couple loafs of bread, butter, milk, some ham, cheese, eggs, a collection of fruit and veg, and a six pack of beer bottles. 'I wonder what she'd like…' He muttered to himself as he checked the contents of the fridge.

While he was rummaging through the fridge for something to give her, the slime emptied the contents of the bowl and was now twice the size it was before, all the while Blare and Kasumi watched the slime with intent curiosity. It then made its way to the edge of the work surface and its form started to change shape.

'The hell is it doing?' Blare asked with a quizzical look on her face.

''I don't know, but I suggest we should stand back for now.'' Kasumi replied, realising that staying where they were would be unwise.

As the pair stood up and backed away from the sink, the slime started to expand, and grew out a pair of arms and legs, as well as growing four additional long tendrils from what was becoming her head, likely imitating hair, two of which stretched down her back and the other two dangling in front of her chest, while her feeler tendril grew in length down the side of her face, acting like a fringe. It had even grown a small nose and a small mouth on its face. Once finished, the slime had taken on the form of a young girl, similar to a certain other slime's child-like form.

'Wow, she can take on a human form just like Suu.' Blare said as a sincere smile crossed her lips.

'Suu?' Kasumi questioned, unsure of who Blare was talking about.

''Oh, she's a slime too, but she's blue with green tendrils.''

Feeling comfortable in her new form, the slime pushed herself from the work surface, and landed on her newly formed feet. She was unstable on her feet at first, possibly because she's never had legs to use before now, but after a moment, she stood up straight with a smile and a giggle. Yuuto looked from the fridge upon hearing the slightly echoey giggle to see the slime in human form. He then stood up straight and made his way to her.

'Nice job little missy. You really are a quick learner.' He praised the slime as he patted her head.

The slime looked up at him in confusion at first, before she realised that the head patting she was receiving felt good, at which point her face turned into one filled with joy with a massive smile, accompanied by another adorable giggle.

After a moment, Yuuto lifted his hand from her head. 'Anyway, do you want something to eat? My treat.'

The slime nodded eagerly as her face lit up with anticipation.

''Hey Stud! Why aren't you offering us food?!'' Blare yelled, starting to get jealous of all the attention the slime was getting from her squad captain.

'I must agree, I feel rather left out myself.' Kasumi added, pouting at the human.

'Did you two already forget about the sushi you stuffed yourselves with earlier?' Yuuto asked with an annoyed look directed at the pair.

''That's not the point! Don't go forgetting about us just because a slime showed up out of nowhere!'' Blare ranted with her tail standing on end and flames bellowing from the corners of her eyes.

'A good point. Senpai, have you not considered that this slime might be here illegally?' Kasumi asked in a serious tone.

Yuuto's eyebrows furrowed at the question, as he slowly was getting tired of the pair's complaints. ''Okay. First of all, don't you think you two are overreacting a bit? I'm pretty sure that the situation isn't as bad as you make it out to be. Also, even if our slime friend here did enter Japan illegally, I don't see the problem. Ms Smith let Suu stay at Kimihito's place without batting an eyelid. Granted, she probably did that just to avoid paperwork, but I don't see why she can't do the same for her. She hasn't even done anything wrong.''

'Um, Stud?' Blare said hesitantly.

'What now?' He asked now starting to get irate with her.

'May I suggest keeping an eye on her?' Kasumi questioned while pointing one of her sickles in the general direction of where the slime was.

Yuuto looked down to where the slime was standing, only to find that she had gone missing during his rant. 'Where did she go?!' He exclaimed in a worried tone while frantically looking around the room.

He noticed that Blare and Kasumi were pointing in the general direction of the fridge with nervous looks on their faces. Now looking towards the fridge, he saw that the orange slime had crammed her head into it, possibly consuming all the contents of the appliance. He rushed over to the slime to find that she had consumed all the fruit and vegetables and were floating around within here, being slowly digested. She turned around to face the human, content with what she was able to consume with a massive smile and a giggle.

'Well, someone likes their greens.' Yuuto stated, relieved that the slime didn't eat out the entire contents of the fridge.

''More power to her. Can't stand the stuff myself.'' Blare added with a massive grin and her hands held behind her head.

'Regardless, it seems her hunger has been sated for the time being.' Kasumi added flatly, still cautious of the slime.

Yuuto knelt down till he was at eye level with the slime. ''I know that you're hungry, but you can't just raid the fridge like that.'' He told her sternly.

The slime's smile faded and is replaced with a look of guilt, feeling bad about what she did.

Yuuto smiled at her again and started petting her head again. ''Hey, it's okay. I'm not angry with you. Just wait for me to get something for you in future, okay?'' He said in a gentler manner, as not to scare her.

Her face lit up again as he reassured her. She then extended her feeler and placed the yellow tip onto his forehead.

'Wait, what are you…'

Yuuto was cut short as a sharp pain went through his head, but in an instant, it disappeared. He winced in pain momentarily as the slime girl removed her feeler from his head. Blare and Kasumi quickly made their way to the pair when they noticed that their captain was in pain.

'Senpai, are you alright?' The empusa asked in a worried tone as she knelt next to him.

''It's alright, just stung for a second, that's all.'' Yuuto replied to ease the girl's concern.

'What the hell was that for, Slimy?!' Blare yelled at the slime girl for hurting him.

The slime looked up at her, her face guilt-ridden once again. ''I'm sorry Blare, I didn't mean to hurt Yuuto, but I wanted to know more about you guys.'' She replied in an apologetic tone.

The three MON agents just stared wide-eyed at the slime girl, surprised that she had suddenly started talking out of nowhere. What was more surprising was that she knew Blare's and Yuuto's names, despite not having mentioned them since they met the slime.

'So, she can talk.' Kasumi broke the silence, stating the obvious.

''TALK?! She just blurted out our names out of nowhere, and you're more intrigued by the fact that she can talk?!'' Blare exclaimed sounding both worried and angry at the same time.

'I think she just read my mind.' Yuuto answered calmly as he rubbed his temple.

'DID WHAT?!' The hellhound exclaimed in shock once again.

''It's alright Blare. Last time we were at Kimihito's place, he told me that Suu can do something similar.'' He explained as he stood up straight along with Kasumi.

'Now that is a useful ability to have.' The shinobi added, slightly jealous that she can't do the same.

The small slime girl looked up curiously as the group talked amongst themselves about her, now armed with the knowledge she ascertained from Yuuto from reading his thoughts and his memories. They were all still a jumbled mess in her mind right now, but she would eventually make sense of it all.

''That's all well and good, but she hurt you doing that!'' Blare continued to rant about the slime.

'Only for an instant.' Yuuto replied, before turning his attention back to the slime girl. ''Besides, she said she was sorry, so there's no problem.'' He added as he petted her head once more, which she smiled and giggled at.

'But…'

'Blare, can you really stay mad at such a cutie like her?' He asked the hellhound as he gestured her to look at the innocent looking slime girl, who had her feeler gently wrapped around his arm and wrist with a content smile on her face.

''He's right Blare, she seems innocent enough.'' Kasumi added with a sincere smile.

Blare looked down at the slime girl, and she saw that she wasn't hostile, but curious and inquisitive, and adorable on top of that. ''Fine. I'll admit, she's pretty cute.'' She said begrudgingly as a blush appeared on her cheeks.

Happy with her answer, Yuuto ruffled Blare's hair with his free hand, which she really enjoyed. After a moment, he removed his hands from their heads and knelt down to be at eye level with the slime again.

'Sweetie, do you have a name? Seems fair to know seeing you know ours already.' He said smiling at the girl.

She shook her head at him before she replied. ''My people are solitary creatures, so we don't have names for each other.''

'How about I give you one?'

''I'd love that.'' The slime girl replied as her face lit up with joy.

'Why not call her Slimy?' Blare said, thinking it would be suitable enough.

'Seems a bit unimaginative if you ask me.' Kasumi answered as she tilted her head to the side.

''I'd like to see you come up with a better one!''

'…Gelleta Ooze...' Kasumi suggested with a quizzical look.

''That's too much of a mouthful!''

As the pair were arguing over names, Yuuto as puzzling over names himself, until he noticed the vegetables still floating around inside her. Suddenly, an idea leapt at him in his mind.

'How do you like Vee?' He asked the slime girl.

She repeated the word 'Vee' in her head over and over, trying to figure out if she liked it. 'Vee!' She exclaimed suddenly, which caused Yuuto to jump back suddenly. 'I like Vee!' She exclaimed joyously.

A smile crept onto his face as the slime girl repeated the name out loud. 'Okay, Vee it is.'

'I thought my name was good…' Kasumi pouted to herself.

 _KNOCK KNOCK_

There was a sudden knock at the door. Yuuto could only presume that Zombina had come to check on him. Before he could get up, Vee ran off towards the front door.

''I'll get it!'' She exclaimed excitedly as she reached the front door.

The orange slime girl opened the door to find Zombina and Tio waiting outside of Yuuto's apartment.

''What the hell? What's a slime doing here?'' Zombina asked out loud with a look of confusion.

'AWWWWWWW! SO CUUUUUTTTEEEE!' Tio squeed before she wrapped her arms around Vee and lifted her into a loving embrace. ''Bina-chan, she's so squishy and adorable!'' She exclaimed as she nuzzled her cheek against the slime girl's head, while Vee was giggling with glee.

Yuuto came running up to the front door with Blare and Kasumi in tow. ''Oh, hey Zee. Hey Tio. I guess you've already met Vee.'' He said as he nervously rubbed the back of his head.

'Yeah, where the hell did she come from?' Zombina asked, still curious as to why a slime was in Yuuto's apartment.

''Not sure, I found her in my sink when I got back here.''

Tio had finally calmed down and placed Vee back down. 'Sweetie, what are you going to do with her?' The ogress asked as she started to pet the slime girl.

'I was hoping I could persuade Smith to let me look after Vee for the time being.' Yuuto replied as he looked down at the slime girl with a sincere smile.

'Yuuto…' Vee looked up at the blonde human with a massive smile on her face.

''Yeah, yeah. We can deal with that tomorrow, but we've got more important things to deal with right now.'' Zombina butted in with a massive grin.

'Like what?' Yuuto asked with a quizzical look.

''Like what's in that damn package of yours!'' The red-head yelled excitedly.

'Zee…' He looked at the zombie with his eyebrows furrowed.

''C'mon, what it that package is dangerous?! We need to find out!''

''…You just want an excuse to see what it is, don't you?'' He accused the zombie with a hint of annoyance.

''Dammit Beesh, I need to know! It's killing me here!'' Zombina yelled, her curiosity getting the better of her.

''But isn't Zee already dead?'' Vee asked as her feeler changed into the shape of a question mark.

''I didn't mean it literally!''

'…Fine, I might as well get it over and done with…' Yuuto said begrudgingly, before inviting his new guests inside his apartment.

'Stud?'

''It's okay Blare. Can't avoid the damn thing forever…'' He replied sounding upset as he passed by her and Kasumi.

'I think he might have had a big falling out with his father from what I can guess.' Kasumi said to the hellhound in a hushed tone, as not to grab the attention of their squad captain.

'Yeah, but still…' Blare replied as her tail drooped and her ears pressed against her head.

The group made their way to his bed where he left the package. Yuuto moved the package to one side before taking a seat on the bed, and then placing the package on his lap. Blare and Kasumi took a seat at either side of him, while Zombina, Tio, and Vee, stood in front of him.

'Okay, can someone pass me some scissors, please?'

Blare raised a claw-tipped finger, while Kasumi raised one of her sickles.

''I guess they'll work.''

With that, the hellhound and the empusa got to work on carefully cutting open the package on either side of Yuuto with their tools of choice.

''I wonder what it could be.' Tio muttered to herself, her arms wrapped around Vee.

''I bet its booze!'' Zombina exclaimed with a massive grin.

'Well, fingers crossed.' Yuuto said flatly, trying his best to be hopeful.

As Blare and Kasumi finished cutting open either end of the package, Yuuto ripped open the seal in the middle, and removed the wrapping. His eyes went wide as soon as he saw what was inside.

''No way. He couldn't have…'' He muttered to himself in disbelief.

What he found was a large black container, covered in an oriental flower pattern.

'What is it, Stud?' Blare asked out of curiosity.

'Do you know what it is?' Kasumi asked with her head tilted.

'If it is what I think it is.'

'Oh, what a pretty box.' Tio said with a smile on her face.

''Who cares about the box? It's what's inside that I wanna know.'' Zombina blurted out impatiently.

Vee just looked at the box in awe, wondering what secrets it held for them.

With a deep breath, Yuuto proceeded to lift the catch that sealed the lid before opening it wide. Once open, the group saw that it contained a katana. The handle was black, and had a gold criss-cross pattern going down the side, and a golden leaf pattern on the end. The hilt was also black, and was designed in the shape of a lotus flower. The sheath that the blade was held in was black and had now patterns on it, only decorated with a black leather strap on the end.

''It's my father's katana, Black Lotus.'' Yuuto explained, surprised by what he'd been given.

''Holy crap! That's awesome!'' Blare exclaimed excitedly.

'That is quite the gift.' Kasumi said, staring at the sword with admiration.

'No way! I want one too!' Zombina shouted, feeling very jealous.

''Wow, That's amazing Sweetie.'' Tio said while staring at the blade in awe.

'Wow.' Vee said out loud.

Yuuto lifted the weapon from the case before Kasumi picked up the case and placed it at the end of the bed. He stood up with the katana in both hands, and partly drew the weapon from its sheath, revealing a sharp steel blade, which was well taken care of if the quality of the shine and the sharpness of the blade was an indication.

''Yeah, it's the real deal.''Yuuto said as he pushed the blade back fully into the sheath.

While he was doing that, Kasumi noticed a paper envelope inside the case, so she decided to pick it up. ''Senpai, there's a letter in here for you.'' She said to him before standing up and presenting the envelope to him.

He turned his attention away from the katana at Kasumi's statement. 'Oh, thanks Kasumi.' He replied before taking the letter from her.

He placed the katana on the bed before opening up the envelope, and pulling the letter out. He unfolded the letter and skimmed its contents quickly. After doing so, a face of anger crossed his face.

'Girls, do you mind giving me a few minutes alone, please?' He asked in barely contained anger.

A look of concern crossed Kasumi's face briefly, before she recomposed herself, and nodded at his request. 'If that is what you wish.' She said before making her wait to the front door.

''What's the matter, Stud?'' Blare asked as she tried to place a hand on his shoulder, before Zombina grabbed her by the wrist. Blare looked at the zombie in shock before she spoke up.

'You heard him. We should leave him be for now.' Zombina said in a serious tone.

'…Right…' Blare replied hesitantly before backing away from the human.

'Yuuto?' Vee asked worriedly.

''C'mon Vee, we should do as he's asked. You can come and visit Yuuto's other friends while we're out.'' Tio said, trying to keep up her chipper mood.

'Okay.' The slime girl replied as she was guided out of the room by the kind-hearted ogress.

''We'll see you in a bit, Sweetie.'' Tio said while waving her free had at him.

Once all the girls left the room, Yuuto started reading the letter.

 _To my son, Yuuto._

 _I hope this letter finds you well. It has been some time since we last spoke, and I wish to enquire on your well-being. I am writing to you in hopes to persuade you to come back home and serve the family as you should. I have heard of your induction into the ranks of MON and the Interspecies Cultural Exchange Program, and I am disappointed that you are wasting your talents on such a lost cause. I have sent Black Lotus to you as a reminder of your position in the family as my heir, and of your responsibilities to the Kazama clan. I hope that you, as well as Hikari, put an end to your childish selfishness and come home as soon as possible, and bring honour back to the Kazama name._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Takahiro Kazama, Head of the Kazama Family._

As Yuuto finished reading the letter, he was barely able to hold back his anger and he resentment towards his so-called father. He picked up Black Lotus and held it to his side, before scrunching up the letter in his other hand, and threw I into the air. In a split second, he drew the blade from its sheath, and simultaneously cut through the ball of paper effortlessly. As the remains of the letter scattered across the floor of his apartment, tears that he had been holding back trailed down his face, now contorted in rage.

'That bastard hasn't changed one bit…'

* * *

A/N: Hi everyone, sorry about the delay. This chapter took longer than expected, but hopefully you'll enjoy it. As a warning, the updates for the story make take up to two weeks from now on, as I'm starting to struggle for ideas for chapters, so if you have any suggestions, please feel free to PM me with suggestions. As always, feel free to follow and favourite if you've enjoyed the story so far, and feel free to leave a review. Thank you very much for reading.


	15. Like a Coordinator (Part 1)

It was early morning at the Interspecies Cultural Exchange Headquarters in Tokyo, and Yuuto was talking with Agent Smith in her office. He and Vee were seated in front of her desk as the two humans discussed whether or not the slime girl could stay with him, though, the topic was a shorter affair than he had initially anticipated.

''Sure, Vee can stay with you, if that's what you two really want.'' Smith said in an upbeat tone as she smiled at the pair.

Yuuto just stared at her wide-eyed in surprise, while Vee cheered with joy as she wrapped her arms and tendrils around his left arm. ''Wait, seriously? No catch?'' Yuuto asked in disbelief, finding her answer too good to be true.

''I don't see a problem, just make sure she doesn't cause any trouble, and everything will be fine and dandy.'' The raven-haired agent replied before taking a sip of coffee and sighing in satisfaction. ''As far as I'm concerned, she's your problem, not mine.''

''Glad to see that you care so much…'' He retorted sarcastically, staring at her with furrowed brows. ''Anyway, there's something else I wanted to discuss with you.''

''It wouldn't have something to do with that weapon you're carrying, is it?'' Smith asked as she lowered her sunglasses to give him a questioning look, pointing towards the empty space next to him.

Yuuto looked to his right to see Black Lotus suspended next to him by a gooey orange tendril. He retrieved the katana from said tendril before patting Vee on the head. ''Thanks Vee.'' He continued to rub her head as the adorable slime girl looked up at him with joyous eyes. ''Yeah, I got it in the mail yesterday. It's from my father, and I thought it would be a waste not to make use of it.'' Yuuto answered his superior as he stood up and unsheathed the weapon, revealing its dazzling steel blade. Kuroko hadn't missed the fact that he said this with a sombre tone.

''Normally, I'm opposed to using lethal force when it's avoidable, but I'm aware of your background.'' She started, pushing her sunglasses back up, as she pulled out his file from one of her draws, and started to look it over. ''Fifth-dan in Kendo, along with your family's 'technique', I can trust that you could disarm or neutralize an opponent without causing serious injury. Though, I would prefer to see it in action before I can give you the all clear to use your sword on operations.''

''That's understandable.'' Yuuto nodded in agreement at her statement as he sheathed his katana and placed it on the side of his chair.

''Also, I'll need you to fill out this paperwork to get licenced to use it.'' She added as she pulled out a stack of papers that were stapled together, and tossed it in the blonde agent's general direction.

Yuuto caught it effortlessly and quickly looked it over with a vexing look on his face. ''Bureaucracy at its finest.'' He stated in an annoyed tone before rolling it up and placing it in his back pocket. ''Hopefully, it'll be worth the effort.''

''I'm sure it will, but before you go, there's one more thing I wanted to discuss with you.'' Smith said just as Yuuto and Vee were about to make their leave.

''Sure, what is it?''

''How would you feel about dating your squad mates?'' She asked as she propped her elbows on top of her desk, with her hand held together under her chin.

Yuuto went wide-eyed at his superior in shock at her question. ''This is a joke, right?'' He responded, hopeful that it was just Smith trying to tease him.

''I'm deadly serious.'' She replied as she lowered her sunglasses again. ''As you are very much aware, the government and the Interspecies Cultural Exchange have been pushing for amendments that would allow marriage between human and liminal couples, and the eventual abolition of what you affectionately refer to as the 'no touchy' rule. However, they both need sufficient evidence for these amendments to pass, and so far, we only have Darling-kun and his girls as a test case. What we need now is a second test case that will cover romance at the workplace, and I think your team would be the perfect choice.''

''Wait, hold on a god damn minute!'' He yelled in protest as his face went red. ''I've only known Blare and Kasumi for just over a week, and I've barely known Kes and Raia for a couple days at most! How do you expect me to marry one of them when I still barely know anything about them?! Don't I even have a say in the matter?!''

''What's the problem? It's obvious that all four of them are interested in you from what I've seen. Let's not forget that Zombina is practically throwing herself at you, despite you having turned her down already, and need a mention a certain reaper that you seem to have a history with?'' Kuroko replied in a teasing tone and a smirk on her face. ''You have to admit, you've become quite the lady killer. Honestly, I'm surprised that an angry mob of single men hasn't tried to burn you or Darling-kun at the stake yet.''

''Well, I for one am glad that isn't the case.'' Yuuto sighed in frustration as he tried to recompose himself. ''Still can't say that I'm happy about this being forced on to me.''

''Bishie-kun, I'm not asking you to marry one of them straight off the bat, not after what happened with Darling-kun. All I'm asking right now is for you to go on dates with your squad mates, maybe even the members of Squad Alpha if you'd be so inclined. Depending on how successful you are, this could be history in the making.''

Yuuto wasn't very happy with being force into his current situation, but Kuroko was right. The quicker they could prove that healthy relationships between humans and liminals were possible, the quicker they could abolish the stupid clause about humans and liminals not being able to harm or have sexual relations with one another.

''Fine, I'll do it, but I can't promise I'll marry any of them. Who I start a relationship with is my choice at the end of the day.'' He answered begrudgingly.

''That's all I ask.'' Kuroko replied with a sincere smile before pushing her sunglasses back up and drunk the remainder of her coffee. ''I believe that's everything I wanted to notify you of. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a top up on…'' She trailed off as she looked towards her personal coffee machine and she froze in horror at what she saw.

Yuuto looked in the same direction to find that Vee had a tendril in the jar and had absorbed all its contents, that being Ms Smith's precious coffee. ''Oh shit, this isn't good.'' He thought to himself as Vee, who was now a slightly darker shade of orange, removed her tendril from the jar and darted over to him.

''YUUTOYUUTOYUUTOYOUGOTTATRYTHISITSSOBITTERBUTTASTYANDNOWIMSOFULLOFENERGYICANTSTOPTALKINGORMOVINGANDITHINKIMGONNAGETDIZZYBUTIFEELSOAWESOMERIGHTNOWIDONTWANTITTOSTOP!'' The small slime girl exclaimed incoherently as she waved her arms and tendrils around frantically.

''Whoa, whoa, whoa. Take it easy, Vee.'' He said calmly as he placed his hands on her gooey shoulders to try and calm down the now hyperactive slime.

Vee then condensed herself into her blob form and started bouncing up and down energetically, so much so had she could look him in the eye at the peak of her assent. ''BUTLOOKIELOOKIELOOKIEICANBOUNCESOHIGHICOULDFLYICOULDDOTHISFORDAYSITSSOFUNYOUGOTTATRYTHIS!'' She continued without pause as it seemed that she would not tire any time soon.

''Great, I've got an orange caffeine-fuelled Flubber to deal with now…'' Yuuto complained to himself as he watched Vee bounce up and down in front of him.

''WHATSAFLUBBERWHATSAFLUBBERIWANNAMEETAFLUBBERISITAKINDOFSLIMETHEYSOUNDSOCOOLIWANNABEAFLUBBERTOO!''

*Sigh*''Note to self, keep caffeine away from Arachne and Slimes…''

He then looked back at Kuroko to see that she was now enshrouded by a dark aura, and he could feel the anger and frustration radiating from her.

''Kazama, that was my last jug of my personal stash. That was meant to last me the rest of the day…'' She said in a dark, threatening tone, as her sunglasses slid down to show her brown eyes, now full of killing intent.

Yuuto flinched and the sight, and suddenly scooped up Vee and Black Lotus under his arms as he started to make a hasty retreat. ''I got to get going now, got assignments to do, homestays to visit! I'll get you a top up on your stash while I'm out! Laters!'' He exclaimed panicky as he rushed to the door and swung it open.

''AAAAGGGGHHHHH!''

He opened the door to hear the screaming of Zombina, as she fell forward and face-planted the ground. She laid on the ground, motionless, as she let out a muffled groan.

''Zombina?! The hell are you doing here?!'' He exclaimed in surprise at the undead's ungraceful entrance.

The zombie stood up and quickly dusted herself off. ''Hey Beesh, hey Vee.'' She started with a massive grin, as if she didn't just face-plant the floor of Ms Smith's office. ''I was just curious about what your meeting was about, that's all.''

''ZEEZEEZEEYOUGOTTATRYTHISCOFFEEITSAMAZINGITMAKESYOUSOENERGETICANDLIVELYITCOULDSTARTUPYOURHEARTAGAINWOULDNTTHATBEAWESOME?!'' Vee said as she bobbed around in Yuuto's arm frantically.

''Wait, you drank Smith's coffee?!'' Zombina exclaimed at the slime with dread in her voice.

''Okay! Less talking, more running!'' Yuuto yelled as he grabbed the zombie's arm, and dragged her out of the office with him, which caused Zombina to yelp in surprise.

''KAZAMAAAAAAA!''

That was the last thing the trio heard from Kuroko's office as they ran down the hallway for dear life, or un-life in Zombina's case.

''Hahahahaha! Damn Beesh, Kuroko's gonna kill you for this!'' Zombina said in between bouts of gut-wrenching laughter while she was still being dragged along by the human agent.

''Yeah, thus the whole 'running for my life' thing I'm doing right now!'' Yuuto replied, still in a panicked state.

''YUUTOYUUTOYUUTOWHATAREWEDOINGWHEREAREWEGOINGWILLTHEREBEMORECOFFEEIWANTMORECOFFEE!'' Vee said, still hyped up on caffeine.

''Vee, if there's one thing you have to remember above all else, is that you never get between Smith and her coffee, ever. Also, you're on a caffeine ban for the foreseeable future. Dealing with more than one caffeine addict is more than I can handle.'' Yuuto stated sternly towards the slime girl.

''So Beesh, where are we eloping to anyway?'' Zombina asked teasingly with her lips curling into her signature toothy grin.

''Huh?'' He responded with a quizzical look, before realizing he was still dragging Zombina by the hand.

The pair slowed to a halt as Yuuto let go of her hand, his face now bright red with embarrassment. Now free, Zombina took the chance to press her breasts against his back, in an attempt to tease her fellow squad captain further.

''Aww c'mon, Beesh. I was really enjoying that you know.'' She whispered sultrily into his ear.

Yuuto stepped away from her abruptly as the zombie started snickering to herself. ''Very funny Zee, but I've got enough stuff to deal with right now without your teasing to deal with.'' He replied in an annoyed tone.

''YUUTOYUUTOYUUTODOYOULIKEZEEILIKEZEEITHINKYOUTWOWOULD… uuuuuuuurrrrrrrrhhhhhh…'' Vee trailed off as she seemed to have lost the pep she was running on earlier.

''What's wrong, Vee?'' He asked worriedly, looking down on her slightly drooping form.

''Dizzy, tired, can't think straight. Can't hold myself together to well…'' She replied drearily in his arm as her eyes started spinning.

''Caffeine withdrawal will do that to you, Vee.'' Zombina butted in as she stepped in front of Yuuto and patted the slime on the head.

''Anyway, what's the plan for today? I take it we're doing visits together from what Smith said earlier.'' Yuuto said, wanting to get out of headquarters as soon as possible to avoid Smith's wrath until she calmed down.

''Yeah, that we are, Beesh.'' She replied as she checked through the files she had on her. ''First one is Sulphira and the Kaneko family to see how they've managed after the ordeal at the Metropolitan Bank, as well as sort out this whole business of her hair-brained scheme to join MON. After that, Smith wants us to check up on Loverboy and his harem to see if he hasn't died yet, and make sure that no one has gotten laid. And finally, we need to visit Yuuhi Hajime and her family to get her preservatives changed over at the hospital, as well as make sure she's adapting to un-life. Gotta keep a close eye on my little zombie buddy.'' Her lips curled into a sincere smile at the mentioning of Yuuhi.

''I take it you and Yuuhi are pretty close?'' He questioned upon seeing her smile.

''Of course! As far as I know, she's the only other zombie in the whole of Tokyo!'' The red-head exclaimed with a hint of joy.

''Aren't you forgetting about Raia? She's undead too you know.''

''Yeah, but she's walking and talking because of some ancient magic, not a bonified zombie virus like us true zombies. I'm jealous that she doesn't have to worry about getting an artificial heart to pump preservatives around her body to stay animated…'' The zombie explained with a pout on her face, complaining about how easy mummies have it when it comes to the undead. ''But enough about that, we should get started.''

''Sure thing, I just need to give Vee something to drink before we head out.'' Yuuto said as he looked down at the adorable sleeping slime held in his arm. ''Also, can we stop by somewhere on the way to the Kaneko residence? I want to get something for Vee.''

Zombina gave him a quizzical look. ''And what would that be?''

* * *

Yuuto, Zombina, and Vee were on their way to the Kaneko residence after their quick detour to the shopping mall, with Zombina at the wheel. Vee was sat in the back, swaying from side to side joyfully, now wearing a newly bought dark blue raincoat and a pair of dark blue rain boots.

''How do you like your new raincoat, Vee?'' Yuuto asked the adorable slime with a smile on his face.

''I love it! Thank you Yuuto!'' The slime girl replied excitedly, her joy being infectious at this point.

''Yeah, it looks great on you.'' Zombina said with a massive grin as she glanced at her through the rear-view mirror. ''But Beesh, I gotta ask.''

''What is it?'' He asked, giving the zombie a quizzical look.

''Don't you think she looks lewder now?''

''…Are we really having this conversation right now? You know she can't wear normal clothes.'' Yuuto replied furrowing his eyebrows at her.

''I know, but it looks like she's flashing herself off. See for yourself.'' Zombina explained while giggling to herself.

Yuuto looked back at Vee, now realising that she had her raincoat wide open. It did look like she was showing off her assets in an inappropriate manner. ''Okay, I see your point, but that wasn't the intent of getting her the raincoat.'' He explained as he reached a hand towards the slime and patted her head. ''I wanted to make sure she had something to protect her from when it rains, speaking of which, I need to get you your own umbrella at some point, right Vee?''

The slime just giggled at the affection she was receiving as she nuzzled her head against the palm of his hand.

''Destination on the left.'' The voice of the satnav spoke as Zombina pulled the SUV to the side of the road in front of the Kaneko residence.

''Looks like we're here. Time to get our work pants on.'' Zombina said while turning off the car engine.

''Right, C'mon Vee, let's go.'' Yuuto said as he got out the car.

'Okay!' The slime girl replied excitedly, doing the same.

The trio departed from the SUV to make their way to the small suburban home that was the Kaneko residence. As they reached the front door, Zombina rang the doorbell, and waited for someone to answer. After a moment, the front door opened to reveal a woman in her early thirties, with wavy, shoulder length hair and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a white knitted blouse, blue denim jeans, and a pink frilly apron on top.

''Hello?'' The woman asked, before her face lit up in realisation. ''Ms Zombina, Mr Kazama, it's good to see you again.'' She said with smile of joy.

''Hey Mrs Kaneko, are you doing well?'' Zombina replied with a massive grin.

''Oh, yes, thank you.'' Mrs Kaneko answered before bowing to them. ''I know I've already said it before, but I can't thank you and your team enough for saving us from those criminals back then.''

''It's no problem, Mrs Kaneko. Just doing our jobs.'' Yuuto replied while rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed by the praise he and Zombina were receiving.

''Please, come in. Make yourselves at home.'' Mrs Kaneko added as she stepped to the side to allow the trio entrance to her home.

''Pardon the intrusion.'' Yuuto and Zombina said aloud as they entered the house and took off their shoes.

''Pardon the intrusion.'' Vee repeated, taking off her own rain boots.

As they entered, Yui came running around the corner to see who had come to visit. She was wearing a blue Sailor Moon t-shirt and white shorts. When she saw and recognised both Yuuto and Zombina, her eyes lit up with both excitement and joy.

''Big Sis! Big Brother!'' The little girl called out to them while running towards the zombie.

''Hey Kiddo!'' Zombina exclaimed with a massive grin before kneeling down and wrapping her arms around the small brunette as Yui practically jumped into her embrace. ''Long time no see!''

''Yeah, way too long!'' Yui replied with a pout on her face. ''What took you so long?'' She continued looking wide-eyed at the red-head.

''Yui, I'm sure that Ms Zombina and Mr Kazama have been very busy with work.'' Her mother answered, somewhat annoyed by her daughter's rudeness.

''It's alright.'' Yuuto interjected. ''Though work has been pretty hectic, if I have to be honest.'' He added, thinking back on how chaotic work had become since Blare and his other squad mates joined up with MON.

''Well, make things at work less hectic next time!'' Yui answered with a cheeky grin on her face, now free from Zombina's embrace. It didn't take the young girl long to notice the orange slime girl standing next to Yuuto. ''Whoa! Big Brother, who's that?!'' She asked excitedly, staring at Vee with curious intent while also pointing at her.

Vee walked up to the human girl with a smile on her face. She stopped just in front of Yui and extended a gelatinous hand towards her. ''Hi, I'm Vee. It's nice to meet you.'' The slime girl said in a chipper tone similar to Tio.

''Hey Vee, I'm Yui!'' The young brunette replied as wrapped the slime girl in a hug. ''Wow! Hey Mom, Vee is so cool and squishy!'' She exclaimed in amazement as Vee gently wrapped her arms and tendrils around the young human with a massive smile on her face.

''Not even a minute, and they're already best buds!'' Zombina said with a massive grin.

''Agent Kazama?'' Yui's mother asked to get the attention of the blonde agent. ''May I ask what the purpose of today's visit is?''

''Of course. We wanted to check how everyone was coping after the incident at the bank a while back. Also, we want to talk to Sulphira about the IAP application she sent us recently.''

''Ah, I see. Well, Sulphira is in the back garden, she's sun-bathing right now. You're more than welcome to go see her, though, she hasn't been herself since the incident at the bank.'' The tone of Mrs Kaneko's voice went gloomy at the mention of her homestay's current state of mind.

''Yeah, Sulphy's been really depressed since the bank robbery. I miss the old Sulphy…'' Yui added in a similarly gloomy tone, while Vee comforted the little girl.

Yuuto put on a brave smile as he knelt down in front of Yui and Vee. ''Well, let's see if I can cheer Sulphy up. I bet she'll be back to normal before you know it.'' He replied to the little girl before patting her on the head for reassurance. He then turned his attention to the slime girl Yui was clinging to. ''Vee, do you mind playing with Yui while we're here? I bet she's know a load of games that you'd like to play.''

''Okay.'' Vee replied in a chipper tone as she unravelled her tendrils from around Yui.

''Really?! Thank you, Vee!'' Yui exclaimed as she squeezed the slime girl again, before letting go of her and taking Vee's hand into her own. ''C'mon, I'll show you all my Sailor moon dolls!'' She continued as she led Vee to her room.

''Play nice, you two.'' Her mother relied as she waved them off with a smile.

''Hey Mrs Kaneko. While I got you here, I've got some paperwork for us to go through while Kazama has a talk with Sulphira.'' Zombina said as she produced a file of papers.

''Of course. Please, take a seat in the living room with me.'' Mrs Kaneko replied as she gestured the zombie to follow.

''Will do.'' Zombina replied before turning her attention to Yuuto. ''Beesh, I'm counting on you to help out Sulphira.''She told him with a wink and a thumps-up.

''Sure thing, Zee.'' He replied with a thumps-up of his own, before making his way to the back garden where Sulphira was currently.

He made his way through the kitchen to the glass sliding door, and opened it so he could go outside into the garden. The garden was made up of a large wooden deck that took up a quarter of the garden area, where there was a small table with several chairs and a parasol. The rest of the garden was a large grassy area with several flowering plants set alongside the fence at either side and at the back, with a set of swings placed half way down. The sky way clear blue as the sun shone down on the garden, and Yuuto found Sulphira sat at the edge of the wooden deck, with her wings spread out to catch the sun's rays, and her tail laid lazily to her side. The young dragonewt was wearing a plain white tank top and a pair of blue denim shorts. She was sat in silence, unaware of the blonde agent's presence, until Yuuto pulled the sliding door shut. Sulphira folded her wings back and turned her head in surprise with a gloomy expression on her face to see who it was, then realising that it was the MON agent responsible for saving her, before her lips curled into a small smile.

''Agent Kazama…'' The onyx-scaled girl said with a blush forming on her cheeks as her mood was slightly brightened by his appearance.

''It's been a while, Sulphy.'' Yuuto replied with a massive grin and a wave, teasing the girl using her cute nickname.

Sulphira pouted at the mentioning of her nickname given to her by Yui. ''I told you not to call me that, Kazama.'' She responded with a huff.

''Sorry, couldn't help myself.'' Yuuto said as he rubbed the back of his head, before making his way to the dragonewt girl, and taking a seat next to her. ''So, how are you doing? I know you've been through a lot recently.'' He added with a hint of concern.

Sulphira looked away from him and hung her head in shame. ''Not good, if I have to be honest. What happened at the Bank has had me questioning a lot about myself. My confidence, my pride, hell, even the reason why I'm taking part in the exchange program at all. I'm a member of the proud dragonewt race, and I couldn't even put a stop to a bunch of petty thugs. I have no right to call myself a true dragonewt…'' Tears were welling up in her eyes as she berated herself, feeling that she had let herself, and her people down, until she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. She looked up to see Yuuto looking straight at her with a concerned look on his face.

''Sulphira, you have nothing to be ashamed of. I don't blame you for getting scare and feeling helpless in a situation like that. Hell, even I'd get scared if someone was pointing a gun to my head. Honestly, I think you're being too hard on yourself, considering the circumstances, and you have every right to call yourself a proud member of the dragonewt race.'' A sincere smile formed on his lips as he reassured her, keeping his hand on the dragonewt's shoulder.

''Kazama…''

Tears were now trailing down her cheeks as a floodgate of emotions finally overflowed. She lunged towards the human and wrapped her arms tight around his chest and pressed her forehead against the crook of his neck, as she started to sob uncontrollably into his shoulder.

''Hey, it's okay. Let it all out'' Yuuto said as he wrapped his arms around her and placed a hand on the back of her head, as he started to stroke her hair in an attempt to comfort her.

The pair stayed like that for a while as Sulphira continued to cry her eyes out as if a damn had burst open. She had very little confidence in herself since the incident, and she wondered whether she truly could ever get over it. But here, holding her in their arms, was someone willing to overlook her flaws, and tell her that everything was going to be alright. No one, apart from her own parents and her host family, has ever gone this far out their way to comfort and reassure her when she was in doubt of herself. Eventually though, her tears ran dry, and she lifted her head to look Yuuto in the eye with a sad smile on her face.

''I'm sorry. It's just that I've been keeping my insecurities to myself, and I…'' She was cut off as the human pressed a finger to her lips.

''There's no need to apologies. I get that you're not feeling very confident in yourself right now, but we can get past this.'' Yuuto said as he removed his finger from her lips with a sincere smile.

''Yeah, and that's why…''

''...why you want to join MON?'' He interrupted the young dragonewt once again.

Sulphira's eyes widened in surprise. ''How did you know?''

Yuuto's face took on a more serious look. ''I read the IAP application form you emailed to the ICEP. I admire that you want to better yourself, but I think joining MON is too dangerous for you.''

''But I can't just sit here and do nothing when people need help!'' She protested, feeling like she was being treated like a child.

Yuuto got up and stood in front of the dragonewt. ''I get that, but from what I've seen, you have no record of any combat training. Do you really think the higher-ups would hire an untrained civilian onto a special-ops team?''

Sulphira averted her gaze from his for a moment, before shaking her head in reply.

Yuuto sighed to himself before he continued. ''Listen, I know that you want to help people, but there's more than just fighting the bad guys.'' He said as he crouched down until he was at eye level with her. ''We can get you an IAP if that's what you really want, but I have a much safer idea than MON that you could do, that is, if you're interested.'' He added as a smile crept onto his face again.

The dragonewt looked Yuuto in the eye once more, her green eyes now full of hope. ''Of course, I'm interested.''

''Okay. How would you like to work for the exchange program?''

''The exchange program?'' She questioned with a look of confusion.

''Here's what I'm thinking. We've got enough special ops agents to deal with the current rate of liminal criminal activity, but what the ICEP needs is more people to help with building up relations between humans and liminals. There are a fair number of liminal exchange students right now that are finding it hard to cope with the new environment they find themselves in, and with your experience as an exchange student yourself, I think you would be a great help with helping other liminals adapt to human society. I've had a word with your coordinator, Ms Smith, and she says that it would be a great idea. What do you think?''

Sulphira sat in silence for a moment as she pondered over the proposal Yuuto had offered her. It was a far cry from what she initially intended, but he had a point. She would still be helping other liminals and help build up relations at the same time, all without putting herself in danger. Finally coming to a decision, she gave the agent her answer.

''Alright, I'll do it.'' She replied with a smile.

''Great!'' Yuuto replied ecstatically, happy with her answer. ''Now, all we need to do is sort out a job application, get you an interview, and with a bit of luck, you should get the job.'' With that, he stood up straight, and offered a hand to the onyx-scaled dragonewt. ''Let's head back inside and get it all sorted, shall we?''

''Let's.''

That was all Sulphira said before taking his hand. As Yuuto helped her up, she was reminded of the time that he saved her from the Yakuza ringleader, reminded of how calm and courageous he had been in that situation, and of how caring he was for her, despite the danger they were in. Sulphira had never been in love before, but if there was one man she could develop feelings for, it would be him. With that, the pair made their way back inside, her future all the brighter.

* * *

After about an hour, all the paperwork had been sorted, and the concerns of both Sulphira and Mrs Kaneko had been alleviated. With everything in check, the human, zombie, and slime trio made ready for their departure.

''Thank you very much for all your help today.'' Mrs Kaneko said as she bowed to the group. ''I hope to see you all soon.''

''Happy to help, Mrs K! It was nice seeing you all again!'' Zombina replied in her usually boisterous tone and with her signature grin.

''Bye Vee! Come play again anytime!'' Yui exclaimed with a massive smile while waving her hand frantically.

''Bye bye!'' The slime girl replied, mimicking Yui's movements.

''Yeah, see you again soon.'' Yuuto added as he put his shoes back on.

''Oh, Kazama. One more thing before you go.'' Sulphira said as she made her way to him.

''Sure, what is it?''

As she reached him, Sulphira wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him into a hug. ''Thanks again for everything. You've been a real lifesaver.''

''No problem, Sulphira.'' He replied with a blush as he stroked her hair for a moment, before breaking off the hug and followed Zombina and Vee out the front door. ''Take care of yourself.'' He added with a wave of his hand.

''See you soon, Kazama.'' She responded with a smile and a blush on her cheeks, waving back at him.

As the front door closed, Yuuto caught up with Zombina and Vee as they made their way back to the SUV,

''Damn Beesh, you really are a miracle worker, aren't ya?'' Zombina asked with a sincere smile.

''Well, I try. Just glad that I was able to help her.'' Yuuto replied with a smile of his own. ''Anyway, it's Kimihito's place next, right?''

''Yep! Possibly some free grub too knowing Loverboy!'' The zombie added as she rubbed her stomach in anticipation.

''…I should've known you'd want free food. You're getting as bad as Smith in that regard.'' He sighed as he hung his head in defeat.

''I get to meet Suu too, won't I?'' Vee asked with her feeler shaped like a question mark.

''Sure. Will be the first time I've seen slimes interact with each other. Should be fun to watch.'' Yuuto replied as the trio entered the SUV. ''Anyway, how was your time with Yui today?'' He asked as he buckled up his seatbelt.

''It was super fun, plus I learned a lot of cool stuff.'' Vee answered excitedly.

''Oh, like what?''

The slime girl started to do one of the poses the Sailor Scouts from Sailor Moon did. ''By the light of the moon, I will punish you!'' She exclaimed with a cute wink.

''You know, she's gonna do that all the time now, right?'' Zombina said teasingly as she started up the car.

''Please don't encourage her…'' Yuuto pleaded, for the sake of his own sanity, followed by the zombie laughing her ass off.

''You know it's cute. Anyway, ready for the next job?''

''As ready as I'll ever be, concerning that madhouse.'' Yuuto replied with a hint of dread in his voice.

''Madhouse!'' Vee shouted excitedly, waving her tendrils joyously.

With that, the SUV pulled onto the road, and started to make its way to the now infamous Kurusu residence.

* * *

A/N: Well, that took longer than expected. Writer's block can be such a pain to deal with, even if you have a general idea of how you want the story to go. This is just the first half of the visits Yuuto and Zombina are doing, so that will be finished off in the next chapter. Also wanted to try my hand at how slimes would react to an excess amount of caffiene, plus with Orange Slimes not being official, I thought I'd have some fun in giving them the ability to condense themselves to the point that they become rubbery and bouncy, so that'll be fun to take advantage of in future chapter. Can't you tell I loved Flubber from when I was a kid? Anyway, thank you to everyone that has followed and favourited this story, as well as all the review and suggestions everyone has made. Getting really close to 9000 views (don't worry, I won't make a Over 9000 joke). As always, thank you for reading.


	16. Like a Coordinator (Part 2)

Well, we've finally hit 10,000+ views for the story. You guys are absolutely amazing, and I couldn't keep this up if not for the continued support, so as always, thank you. With that out of the way, let's get on with the story.

* * *

In the dining area of the Kurusu household, Vee was sat at the edge of the table in her blob form. Next to her was Suu in her blob form, both of them looking down at the floor in anticipation of what was about to happen. Standing opposite them were Yuuto, Kimihito, Papi, Mero and Lala, all waiting to see what would happen.

''You ready Vee?'' The blonde agent asked, looking forward to seeing the orange slime show off her abilities to the group.

''Yup!'' Vee replied excitedly before turning to face her fellow slime. ''Do what I do Suu, okay?''

''Okay.'' The blue slime girl replied while bobbing up and down excitedly.

With that, Vee dropped off the edge of the table, before she hit the ground and bounced off the surface, propelling herself towards Yuuto. The MON agent easily caught her as she flew towards him, Vee landing in his hands, before holding her in his embrace against his chest.

''Nice one, Vee.'' Yuuto said while patting her head gently, which she responded by wrapping her feeler around his wrist.

''Wow Vee! That was so cool!'' Papi exclaimed in amazement while waving her wings above her head excitedly.

''Indeed, it is quite the useful ability to have.'' Mero added as she clapped her hands together in applause at the spectacle she just witnessed.

''Truly, it is a skill tae be marvelled, but as a Knight o' Death, it does nay pose a threat.'' Lala boasted in her usual chuunibyou manner.

''It isn't meant to be threatening, Lala.'' Yuuto replied, before holding out the orange slime towards her. ''How can you be threatened by such a little cutie?''

''Yeah, I'm not scary!'' Vee exclaimed joyfully as she bobbed up and down in his hands.

Lala stepped back from the slime as she raised an arm defensively. ''I canna attest tae yer experiences with this slime, but from what I have been subjected tae by Suu, I have learned tae be cautious o' even the most innocent looking o' beings. I am certain that the other homestays can attest tae that.''

Papi and Mero both flushed furiously as they remembered the groping they endured from Suu, as said slime looked on at the group with an innocent look on her face.

''Well, Suu can be a bit intimate at times, but that's only when she's dehydrated though.'' Kimihito added trying to defend the blue slime. ''Anyway, I'm more curious about if Vee being able to bounce is something Suu can do too, or if it's unique to orange slimes.''

''Well, that's what we're trying to find out. Vee and Suu just recently read each other's minds, so maybe it might be something that can be taught.'' Yuuto replied, holding Vee in his arms again, much to Lala's relief.

''I wanna try!'' Suu exclaimed waving her feeler excitedly.

''You can do it, Suu!'' Papi shouted, waving her wings frantically in support.

''Yeah, you can do it!'' Vee exclaimed while bobbing up and down, as well as waving her stubs, mimicking Papi presumably.

Without further hesitation, Suu dropped off from the edge of the table. Unlike Vee however, she hit the ground with a splat, causing Suu to splay across the floor. The blue slime had a sad look on her face, seeing she had failed to bounce off the surface like her orange counterpart.

''Aww, don't be upset Suu. You're still great, even if you can't bounce.'' Papi said in an attempt to comfort her gooey friend.

''Well, I guess it's an orange slime thing.'' Yuuto concluded as he crouched down to place Vee on the floor.

Vee changed into her human form and walked over to the currently splattered Suu. ''Are you okay?'' She asked out of concern as she crouched down next to the blue slime.

Suu slowly reformed herself into her human form too, kneeling down next to Vee. ''Yeah, I'm okay.'' The blue slime replied with a smile as she outstretched her feeler towards the orange slime.

Vee reached out with her own feeler as it made contact with Suu's. The pair of slimes smiled and giggled to one another, seemingly lost in their own little world.

''I must admit, they make for quite the adorable sight.'' Mero said aloud with her webbed hands clasped together.

''Yeah, they're definitely make a cute pair.'' Kimihito added, rubbing the back of his head.

Lala stood right behind Yuuto as she grew more cautious of the slime duo. ''Yuuto,'' She started as she whispered into his ear. ''I would advise caution. I canna predict what these slimes are capable o' with their now combined power. I can only see disaster in their wake.''

''I doubt they're planning world domination, Lala.'' He replied jokingly, looking back at her. ''Though, it might be worth keeping an eye on them while they're together.''

''Well, you're not doing a very good job, Kaziman.'' Papi said to get his attention.

''It's Kazama, Papi.'' Kimihito corrected the harpy.

''Right, that!'' She replied before returning her attention to Yuuto. ''Anyway, while you and Lala were flirting, Suu and Vee went into the kitchen. Dunno why though.''

Yuuto's and Lala's faces both went beet red with embarrassment at the flirting comment, though the dullahan didn't separate from him. ''Okay, first off, Lala and I weren't flirting.'' Yuuto started to explain to the harpy. ''As for Vee and Suu, maybe they wanted something to drink if I had to guess.''

''Well, you're partially right…'' Kimihito interjected as he stood by the kitchen counter, looking over towards the sink.

''What do you mean by 'partially right'?'' Yuuto asked, giving his friend a quizzical look.

''See for yourself.'' He replied, pointing towards the kitchen sink.

Yuuto, along with Lala, walked over towards the kitchen counter where Kimihito was standing, and looked towards the sink. Vee and Suu were drinking water directly from the tap, but as the seconds passed, their bodies slowly grew and matured, until the pair took on more well-endowed adult forms. Satisfied, Suu turned off the tap, and the pair came running out of the kitchen, into the dining area.

''Yuuto!'' Vee yelled, before tackling him to the ground with a massive hug.

''AAAAHHHH!''

As Yuuto was knocked backwards by the orange slime, they collided with Lala, knocking her body down to the ground with them. Her head was sent flying from her shoulders, spinning uncontrollably, but Kimihito was close enough to catch her head in the palm of his hands as she fell. On the ground, Vee was lying on top of Yuuto, who in turn was lying on top of Lala's body, his head resting in between her cleavage, while the dullahan's body had her arms wrapped around his neck.

''You okay there?'' Kimihito asked out of concern, with Lala's head held to his chest, her eyes still spinning from the dizzying experience.

''…Yeah, I'll be fine thanks.'' Yuuto replied, with Vee nuzzling his chest blissfully. ''How are you doing, Lala?''

''I-I-I will recover in time, though me prediction about the slime did come tae pass.'' The dullahan responded shyly with red cheeks, looking away from the blonde.

''Had a feeling something like this would happen sooner or later.'' Yuuto then sat up, with both Lala's body and Vee still clinging to him. ''Vee, I know you like me, but it's no reason to knock me down like that.'' He lectured the orange slime in a stern tone, looking into her yellow orbs.

''I'm sorry Yuuto. Don't you like my new form?'' Vee asked dejectedly, looking away from him with a guilt-ridden face.

The blonde agent chuckled to himself over her ridiculous question, before placing a hand on her head and rubbing it gently. ''I never said I didn't like it, Sweetie. Just try to be more careful in future, okay?''

The orange slime looked back at him as a slime curled onto her gelatinous lips. ''Okay.'' She replied as she rested her head in the crook of his neck and nuzzled against him.

Yuuto hadn't failed to notice that Vee was pressing her now large breasts, which were possibly E-cups, against his chest, jiggling from side to side as she nuzzled against him. While that was going on, he felt Lala's arms wrap around his chest and hugged him tight, also pressing her breasts against his back.

''Um, Lala?'' He asked her head, looking back at her with red cheeks. ''Your body is getting a bit clingy over here…''

''I-I-I have nay control over me body in me current state! It has a will o' its own!'' The dullahan's head protested nervously, desperately avoiding eye contact with the human.

''…Okay then.'' Yuuto replied after a short pause, not quite believing her claim. ''Kimihito, do you mind putting her back in the driver's seat?'' He asked, turning his attention to the host.

''Oh, right. Of course.''

Within moments, Kimihito place Lala's head back on her body, as her arms reached up to make sure her head was on properly. Satisfied, Lala quickly got up onto her feet and stepped back from the human and slime pair in embarrassment. Despite her actions, Lala had quite enjoyed her cuddling with the blonde agent, but she didn't have the nerve to tell him that.

''Me apologies, Yuuto. Me body tends tae act purely on emotion while me head is separated.'' The dullahan said shyly, twiddling her fingers out of sheer embarrassment, while avoiding eye contact with him.

''I don't really mind, Lala.'' Yuuto replied with a smile, standing up onto his feet after separating himself from the overly affectionate orange slime. ''Just saying there's a time and a place for it.''

Lala's eyes widened at his response, hopeful that he would continue to allow such interactions between them. ''Well, if ye don't mind, then maybe…''

''FUUUUUCCCKKKK!''

A loud violent curse, caused by a curtain frustrated zombie, caused everyone in the dining area to flinch in surprise, cutting Lala's and Yuuto's conversation short. Back in the living room, Miia, Centorea, Rachnera, and Zombina, were in a middle of playing Super Smash Bros, and things were getting heated. Zombina's character, Zero Suit Samus, was knocked off the stage by Bayonetta's final smash, who was currently being played by the sadistic arachne. Unfortunately, the zombie had lost her last life and was out of the game. Miia, playing as Princess Peach, and Centorea, playing as Lucina, were barely hanging on by a thread as Rachnera continued to torment her opponents.

''How the heck did you get so good?!'' Miia whined as she frantically button-mashed her controller.

''Indeed, this is most unscrupulous!'' Centorea shouted in protest, feeling that there was no sense of honour coming from the lilac-haired arachne.

''Maybe you should stop complaining and 'get good' at the game.'' Rachnera replied teasingly with a sadistic grin, obviously trying to wind-up the lamia and centaur pair.

''Seriously! The fuck was that bullshit?! Bayonetta needs to be toned down a few notches!'' Zombina was off on another one of her rants, though getting riled up over a video game was hardly worth the effort.

Yuuto entered the living room, with Vee close on his heels, to check up on his undead co-worker. ''Well, looks like you're all done. Ready to head off to the Hajime residence?'' He asked in an upbeat mood, trying to cheer up the red-head.

Zombina glanced towards him, a massive grin now evident on her face. ''You don't have to tell me twice!'' She said enthusiastically as she got up from her seat and made her way to him. ''Damn Vee, you are looking good right now!'' She added, noting the slime girl's new form.

''Hehe, thanks Zee.'' The orange slime replied cheerily.

''Hey Vee, can you go put your raincoat and boots on? We'll be going soon.'' Yuuto asked her.

''Okay.'' The orange slime replied, before she gave him a quick hug and then made her way into the hallway.

As everyone in the dining room made their way into the living room, Zombina turned her attention towards the dullahan coming in at the back of the group. ''Hey Headless, you ready to go?''

''Yes, I am ready tae venture forth tae reunite with young Yuuhi. I wish tae ascertain her fate.'' Lala replied with her usual flare for dramatics, though a smile was prevalent on her face the whole time.

''Wait, you're coming with us?'' Yuuto asked with a quizzical look. ''How do you and Yuuhi know each other?''

Lala's face went red again at the human's question. ''Well, yer see…''

* * *

''You did what?!''

Yuuto was sat in the passenger seat of the SUV while talking to Lala, who was sat in the back with Vee. He was dumbstruck by what the dullahan had just told him in regard to Yuuhi.

''Yeah, that was the face I made when I found out she took one of my teeth to infect Yuuhi with the zombie virus.'' Zombina interrupted with her signature grin.

Lala just sat there nervously, not sure how she would explain the reason for her actions to the human.

Yuuto thought that Lala was the kind of person to stick to her duties, despite any situation. She proudly stuck to her 'Reaper of Death' act, even though technically, he knew that she was the real deal. She would boast about how she maintained balance between life and death, but for her to stop someone from ascending into the afterlife by making them undead was rather unorthodox. Why would she intervene to begin with? What possessed the dullahan to do what she did? Wouldn't she get in trouble for shirking her duty as a guide for lost souls? As all these questions swirled around in his mind, the car pulled up in front of the Hajime residence. Standing at the front of the driveway, was a small, pale-skinned girl, with long light brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white t-shirt with a light brown short-sleeved jacket on top, a black frilly skirt that reached down to her knees and a pair for white trainers. As the car stopped, Lala took off her seat belt and got out of the car to greet the young zombie personally. The girl's face lit up with joy as she saw the dullahan step out the car, the reaper that was responsible for her continued existence, with the help of a certain red-headed zombie's tooth of course.

''Lala!'' The young zombie exclaimed joyously as she ran towards the dullahan, latching herself around Lala's waist as she reached her.

''It's good tae see ye once again, Yuuhi.'' Lala replied with a smile and blushed cheeks, as she wrapped her arms around the girl clinging to her. ''Have the Fates been kind tae ye since our last meeting?''

''Yeah, I'm good, thank you.'' Yuuhi replied, looking up at the blue-skinned woman. ''How are you?''

Lala stepped back from the embrace as she started her amateur dramatics. ''I have fared well young one, the Fates have deemed it fit tae reunite me with an old acquaintance, one that has brought a ray o' hope where none had existed before.''

''One that is waiting for you two to get in the car so we can get going.'' Yuuto interjected with a cheeky grin with his head sticking out the window, catching the pair off guard and causing Lala to blush profusely.

Yuuhi turned to face the blonde agent, before bowing to him. ''Hello, I'm Yuuhi Hajime. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir.'' She said politely, raising her head once again.

''Hey, I'm Yuuto Kazama. I'm a friend of Lala's and Zombina's, just in case you were wondering.'' He replied with a wave of his hand. ''Anyway, we should go and get your check-up sorted at the hospital as soon as possible.''

''Of course, thank you for making time for me.'' Yuuhi said as she bowed to him again. With that, the young zombie made her way to enter the car, and sat herself in the central seat next to the orange slime.

''Hi, I'm Vee. Nice to meet you.'' The slime girl said cheerily, extending a gelatinous hand to the zombie girl.

''Um, Hello. I'm Yuuhi.'' She replied timidly, unsure of what to make of the slime girl sitting next to her, though Yuuhi took Vee's hand and shook it.

''I canna blame yer caution. Ye are dealing with the unknown, a force ye…'' Lala's warning was cut short as the zombie girl gasped in amazement.

During the handshake, Vee had condensed herself down till she returned to her child-like form in front of Yuuhi's eyes, the slime girl giggling at the zombie's awe-struck face.

''Wow, that's so cool!'' Yuuhi exclaimed in amazement, a massive smile appearing on her face.

Yuuto looked back at the exchange between the young zombie and slime girl, smiling to himself as he watched. ''I take it this is the first time you've met a slime?'' He asked as Vee started waving her tendrils in an attempt to impress Yuuhi.

''Yeah, they seem pretty amazing.'' She replied as she buckled herself in.

''Not as impressive as a Knight o' Death…'' Lala moped to herself as she put on her seat belt.

''You all better be buckled up, cause we're going!'' Zombina practically yelled as she put the car into gear and began to drive towards the hospital.

As they were pulling away, one of the wheels hit a small pot hole, which caused the car to jolt momentarily. It was forceful enough to send Lala's head tumbling off her shoulders, landing softly on Yuuhi's lap.

''Whoops, sorry about that!'' The red-head exclaimed as she rubbed the back of her head.

''You okay there, Lala?'' Yuuto asked, concerned about the dullahan's wellbeing.

''I am fine, though the Fates see it fit tae torment me this day…''

''Hey Lala, this kind of reminds me of when we first met, don't you think?'' Yuuhi asked, feeling nostalgic about their initial encounter while she was still alive.

Lala looked up at the adorable zombie from her lap, a sincere smile creeping onto her lips. ''…Indeed, it does, Yuuhi. Indeed, it does…''

* * *

Sometime later at the hospital, Yuuto and Lala was sat on a bench outside the building, while Vee was playing with a group of children currently immitted at the hospital not far from them. They were currently waiting for Zombina and Yuuhi to finish their preservative transfusion before heading home for the day. The pair sat in awkward silence, unsure of what to say to each other. Yuuto thought about asking why she allowed Yuuhi to turn into a zombie, which seemed counter-intuitive to her role as a reaper, but he couldn't bring himself to press her on the issue. He could tell that it was a sensitive subject for the dullahan, and he didn't want to risk damaging his friendship with her. Though, his worries were for naught as Lala broke the silence.

''I suppose ye are wondering why I interfered with young Yuuhi's fate like I did.'' She said, unable to look him in the eye.

''Yeah, I'm sorry about over-reacting earlier. Just a bit of a shock to hear you did that, that's all.'' The human replied apologetically, looking towards her.

''Tis fine. Me actions in that regard seems opposed tae me role in the cycle o' life and death, though I feel I must explain meself tae ye.'' Lala got up from her seat and stood in front of the blonde agent. ''If ye would oblige me, could we continue this discussion away from prying ears?'' She asked nervously as she twiddled her fingers.

''Sure, I don't have a problem with…'' He was interrupted as Lala suddenly materialised her scythe out of thin are, which caused him to give the dullahan a questioning look. ''Lala, what are you…'' He was cut short once again as he was struck on the head by the blunt end of the weapon, hard enough to cause him to black out.

* * *

Yuuto awoke to find himself in the fields of Limbo, accompanied by a massive migraine from being struck so hard. He looked up to find himself lying on Lala's lap, who was looking down on him with worry.

''Are ye alright?'' Lala asked, concerned for his wellbeing.

''…Besides the possible concussion, and being in a state of near death, I think I'll be fine.'' He replied as he sat himself up, massaging his head where Lala had hit him, the pain still prevalent even in Limbo. ''I know you wanted privacy, but isn't this kind of overkill?'' He asked looking back at her.

''Me apologies, this was the only place I could think of where no other mortal could overhear us.'' The dullahan answered with red cheeks as she avoided his gaze, ashamed that she had brought harm to him.

''Well, that's one way of ensuring it.'' Yuuto replied as he shuffled himself so he was sitting right next to her. ''Now that we're here, I have to ask. Why did you do what you did for Yuuhi? Isn't it like, going against your code as a reaper?''

Lala looked up at him, expecting him to give her a judging gaze. Instead, she found that his eyes were full of both concern and curiosity, at which she widened her eyes in surprise. She half expected him to be angry with her at the fact that her actions caused someone's death, but there he was, looking straight into her golden eyes, giving her the chance to explain herself. Unable to hold eye contact with him, she looked away as she brought her knees up to her chest.

''It is forbidden for me kind tae interfere with the natural cycle. We dullahan have always served the role o' guides fer lost souls, and tae do that, we canna involve ourselves in mortal matters. But with the young lass, someone so young and on the brink o' death, I wanted more for her, tae live a full life like anyone else deserves, I could nay bare tae watch her light fade so soon.'' As she explained herself, she pressed her head against her knees, as tears started tricking from her eyes. ''I committed a taboo among me people, yet I have no regrets in saving Yuuhi from her illness, but there may come a time when I'll be reprimanded fer me actions, maybe even shunned by me kin, but I would do it again if need be.'' She looked up to face Yuuto once more, a smile forming on her tear-stained face. ''I tell you this now, because I feel ye are the reason fer me actions tae save the young lass. When we first met, there was something about ye that inspired me tae do more than just observe, but tae take action and show compassion. If not fer ye, I would nay be the woman I am today.''

Lala then wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him into her embrace. She rested her head against the crook of his neck, as tears trickled down her cheeks again, but these weren't tears of sorrow, but tears of joy. Yuuto instinctively wrapped his arms around the dullahan, with a hand resting on the back of her head, holding her closely as she sobbed quietly into his shoulder. He kept silent as Lala let her feelings flow freely out into their quiet corner of existence, only the two of them being witness to it.

''Thank you for telling me, Lala. I know this must've been hard for you to talk about, but you know you can always come to me if you need someone to talk to, okay?'' He said, holding back tears of his own.

She nodded in response, but for Yuuto, it felt like she was nuzzling against him affectionately, though he did not mind it at all. After a moment, Lala lifted her head again, till she was looking him in the eye, their faces only mere inches apart.

''I could nay trust anyone else with the task.'' She replied, separating herself from him before standing to her feet, still looking right at him. ''We should make haste back tae the mortal realm, too much time here could damage yer soul's link tae the living realm, and I make no plans tae have yer soul depart tae the afterlife any time soon.'' The dullahan continued as she extended a hand to him.

Yuuto took her hand with his own, now standing to his feet with her help. ''Yeah, as pretty as this place is, I kind of want to enjoy living life a bit more. I take it we're going back the same we did last time?'' He questioned the dullahan as she guided him towards the river, their hands still grasped together.

''Yes, it is the quickest way tae return tae the land o' the living.''

As they entered the river, they turned to face each other once more, and locked their free hands together as well. Soon, beams of light shone around them from the river bed, their path home opening up to them. As the lights got brighter, Yuuto pulled Lala into a hug, which caught the dullahan off guard for a moment, but she soon wrapped her arms around him again, before the light enveloped them, returning then to whence they came.

* * *

Sometime later, Zombina and Yuuhi came out of the hospital. The young zombie was the picture of health, by undead standards that is, and she seems to cope with her new found unlife. Zombina and Yuuhi had gone to find Yuuto and Lala after their appointment with Dr Suzu Tamura, only to find the pair resting against each other on one of the benches outside. Zombina couldn't help but sneak up on them, and with the help of Vee who was nearby, scared them out of their slumber. The pair were startled, but it seems that they were more concerned about the compromising position the were found in by the others. After the brief moment of embarrassment, the group made their way to the car and made their leave. After a few minutes of driving, they arrived at the Hajime residence, and after a few goodbyes and hugs, Yuuhi made her way into the house. It wasn't long till the group arrived outside the Kurusu residence to drop Lala off. As the dullahan got out of the car, Yuuto did the same and insisted on escorting her to the door, being the gentleman that he is, and to get a moments piece from Zombina's teasing.

''Well, that was an interesting day.'' Yuuto said out loud in an attempt to break the silence.

''Yes, it was good tae see the young lass again. I'm glad that me efforts made such a difference tae someone's life.'' Lala replied, a sincere smile making itself evident on her face.

''Unlife you mean.'' The blonde added with a teasing grin. ''But yeah, Yuuhi's a good kid. I'm sure she appreciates everything you've done for her.''

Lala merely blushed at his comment, happy to know that he thought she did the right thing.

As they reached the front door, the pair turned to face each other once more. Lala wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her embrace for the umpteenth time that day, which the human was happy to reciprocate. As they were enjoying the moment, he was caught off guard as the dullahan pressed her lips against his cheek briefly. Yuuto just stood there in shock at the sudden affection as Lala broke off from the hug.

''Thank ye fer everything today, Yuuto.'' She said with a hint of embarrassment. ''I hope ye stay safe on yer travels.''

Yuuto shook himself from his stupor and recomposed himself. ''Sure, it's no problem.'' He replied as he rubbed the back of his head nervously, his cheek burning bright red. ''Anyway, I should get going. I'll text you went I get back.'' He added as he walked off, waving a hand at her as he left. ''See you soon, Lala.''

''Till we meet again, Yuuto.'' She responded with her usual chuuni flare, which wasn't as evident as it usually was today.

The dullahan let herself into the house and closed the door behind her, which was shortly followed by a surprised yelp.

''Hmm, I wonder how long Rachnera was waiting to ambush her.'' Yuuto thought to himself as he got back into the SUV and put on his seat belt, now to be subjected to Zombina's, and surprisingly, Vee's teasing once again.

''Yuuto and Lala, sitting in a tree~.'' The slime girl sang, swaying from side to side as she did so.

''K-I-S-S-I-N-G!'' Zombina shouted enthusiastically. Causing the human to blush with embarrassment.

''Hey! Knock it off, you two! I didn't know she was going to sneak that on me!'' Yuuto shouted in protest, though in reality, he didn't mind receiving it from Lala, but he wasn't going to tell them that.

''Admit it, you loved it!'' Zombina said with a massive grin and a sultry voice.

The blonde looked away in embarrassment. ''What guy wouldn't like that?''

''I think you two look good together.'' Vee added innocently.

This only served to cause Yuuto's cheeks to go a brighter shade of red.

''Alright, let's get going, I'm starving!'' The zombie practically yelled as she drove off.

''Yeah, can't wait to get home and relax after what happened today.'' He replied as he finally calmed himself down.

''Relax? I doubt we'll have time for that, tonight of all nights.''

''The hell do you mean?''

''Don't you remember? It's a full moon tonight.''

Yuuto's eyes widened in shock, he had totally forgot about the full moon tonight. He then remembered what Ms Smith had said today about going on dates with his squad mates, and on top of what happened with Lala today, this wasn't going to be a quiet evening for him.

''…Fuck!''

* * *

Yes, you heard it, I'll finally be getting around to a full moon chapter, and let me tell you, things are going to get intense and crazy. For now though, with hitting 10k for this story, the next chapter will be a bonus. Not decided on what to base it on yet, but if any of you have any suggestions or a request, send me a PM with you ideas. Like always, follow and favourite the story if you enjoyed it, and feel free to leave a review. Thank you all for reading.


	17. Bonus: A matter of Covenience

A/N: Hey everyone. here's the 10k view bonus chapter I promised you guys, and the full moon arc will start next chapter. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

''Thank you for your patronage.''

The store clerk bowed as the customer left with their purchases. It was another quiet day at the local convenience store, and the clerk manning the front counter was starting to get bored to death. He was a young man with black hair, shaved down to a buzz-cut, and brown eyes, wearing a white work shirt, black trousers, a green apron, and white trainers. He lent on the counter while no one was looking, sighing to himself as the day felt like it was dragging on.

''Man, I wish something interesting would happen now, I don't care what.'' He thought to himself, trying his best to stay awake.

 _DING_

A bell chimed as a group of three liminals entered the store. At the head of the group was a lizardman with messy shoulder length crimson hair, green slit eyes and dark green scales, wearing a black hoodie, a red t-shirt, torn blue denim jeans, and a pair of white trainer. Behind him, the was a tanned orc with a small green mohawk and blue eyes, wearing a large brown trench coat, black cargo pants, and brown boots. Alongside the orc was a black-furred minotaur with brown eyes and large ivory horns, wearing a white tank top and tight blue denim jeans. The trio of liminals made their way to the front counter as the clerk stood up straight before politely greeting them.

''Good afternoon, and welcome to Oka-Mart. How can I help…'' He trailed off as the lizardman drew a pistol from his hoodie and pointed it at the clerk's head.

On cue, the orc opened up his trench coat to reveal a pair of AK-47s that were hung up on the inside of the coat. He grabbed one as the minotaur took the other and they pointed their weapons at the clerk too.

''I'd suggest you open up the till and empty it out into a bag for us quickly and quietly, if you don't want to be peppered with bullets today.'' The lizardman threatened the human, waving his gun towards the till to encourage the clerk to do so.

''S-S-Sure. N-No one needs to get hurt after all.'' The clerk stuttered as he grabbed a plastic bag and opened up the till to empty it out for the liminals.

''Nice plan, Drek. We'll be in and out in no time.'' The minotaur spoke with a massive grin on his face.

''Yeah, who would've thought we'd be able to sneak back into the country so quickly! Those goblins are good for something at least!'' The orc added as he let out a hearty laugh.

''Minos! Burter! Cram it! Do you want to let everyone in the city know that we're here illegally?!'' The lizardman shouted at the pair in annoyance. ''Anyway, I need you two to cover the front door, in case more people show up!''

''Damn, keep your tail on man. I'm doing it.'' Minos replied as he aimed his rifle at the front entrance.

Burter's snout started twitching as he picked up the scent of more people heading towards the store. ''HAHAAAAA! Four women heading our way! All liminals too!''

* * *

Outside the Oka-Mart, Blare, Kasumi, Kestria, and Raia were making their way to the convenience store, blissfully unaware of what awaited them.

''What do you mean Stud couldn't come with us?!'' Blare shouted in annoyance. She was wearing a white t-shirt, blue denim shorts, and a studded choker around her neck.

''Senpai said he wanted to keep an eye on Vee while she's getting used to her new surroundings, considering she may not be used to urban life.'' Kasumi answered plainly. The empusa was wearing a short sleeved green blouse with four sleeves, a blue plaid skirt, and a pair of white trainers.

''Can't say I blame Medjay, I've heard from some of our co-workers that slimes are quite difficult to handle.'' Raia added, understanding Yuuto's current situation. She was wearing a grey tank top, a black leather jacket on top, a short blue denim skirt, and a pair of black knee-high boots.

''Maybe, but then again, Hotshot might've wanted an excuse to spend some alone time with Grim.'' Kestria said with a wry smile on her face, trying to get a reaction from her squad mates. She was wearing a white tank top as well as green cargo pants.

''Lala?! What's she got that I don't have?!'' The hellhound complained as her flame lashes erupted from the corners of her eyes.

''An air of mystery and a flare for dramatics, plus I believe Senpai mentioned that they have some sort of history together.'' Kasumi replied, though like Blare, she was feeling slightly jealous of the dullahan herself.

''Plus, she doesn't have a temper like you do.'' The raptor harpy added teasingly.

''Oh, shut the hell up, Kes!'' The hellhound shouted angrily.

Raia merely smirked at Blare as she unwittingly proved Kestria's point.

 _DING_

The bell chimed as the group entered the shop, though, the were too engrossed with their current conversation to notice the rifle wielding orc and minotaur in front of them, until the two large liminals cocked their weapons and pointed them at the group. The four liminal women looked at them with shocked eyes as a sinister grin crossed the orc's face.

''Hands up, ladies. Don't wanna ruin your pretty faces now, do I?'' Burter said menacingly as he pointed the AK47 at the girls individually.

''Yeah, let us be gentlemen and take your purses out for you.'' Minos added as he stepped forward, now towering over the empusa standing in front of him.

''For fuck sake! We finally get a day off and this happens?!'' Blare exclaimed in frustration as she raised her arms above her head.

''Well, this is rather inconvenient for a convenience store.'' Kasumi added as she did the same with both pairs of arms, oddly able to stay calm even in this situation.

''Yeah, and these dolts look like major pervs too…'' Kestria said in an annoyed tone as she held up her wings.

At the mention of the raptor harpy's complaint, an idea popped into Raia's head, a simple enough plan that would get the girls out of this sticky situation. ''Damn, they probably want us to flash them too, and there isn't a thing we can do about it…'' She said in mock distress.

Burter and Minos turned their attention towards the mummy, now eager to take advantage of her supposed slip of the tongue. ''Well, if you're so insistent, why don't you be a dear show us what you're hiding under that jacket of yours.'' The minotaur said with a perverse grin on his face.

''Hell yeah, I always wanted to see me some mummy tits!'' The degenerate orc added all too enthusiastically.

''Raia, what the hell are you…OUCH!'' Blare was cut off as Kasumi elbowed her hard in the side. ''The hell was that for?!''

Kasumi merely looked towards the hellhound and gave her a smile and a wink.

''…Oh.'' Blare said in a hushed tone before clearing her throat, ready to play along with the plan. ''Raia, you better do what they say. Seems like they're serious.'' The hellhound said with mock worry.

Kestria caught onto the plan almost immediately and decided to have some fun with it. ''Hey Raia, you sure you want these guys to see your nipple piercings? I don't think they could handle it.'' She said in a teasing tone in order to wind up the already high-strung orc and minotaur holding then hostage.

''NIPPLE PIERCINGS?! NOW THIS I GOTTA SEE!'' Burter shouted as his face went bright red with excitement, with his minotaur partner just as eager to see them.

''Will you shut the hell up?! This is meant to be a quick and discreet operation here!'' Drek shouted from the counter, still pointing the pistol at the clerk, though now he was looking towards Raia as his interest in the girl showing off her assets had peaked.

A seductive smile crossed the mummy's lips as the orc and minotaur, as well as the lizardman, had their attention on her. ''Well, it seems I have no choice in the matter.'' She started as she undid her leather jacket and grabbed the bottom of her tank top with both hands. ''Are you boys ready?'' Raia asked with a wink.

The three liminal men nodded their heads eagerly.

''Okay then, here you go.''

As she started to lift her tank top up, their eyes widened in anticipation, eager to see her fine assets, but as soon as it was high enough, three separate bandages shot out from her torso, each wrapping around the weapons the three criminals were holding. In an instant, their guns were yanked from their hands, and no sooner than that happened, a predatory glint could be seen in the eyes of the hellhound, empusa, and raptor harpy. Before the liminal men knew it, the three girls lunged forwards, each picking their own target.

Blare leapt towards the orc, and before he could act, the hellhound grabbed his face as she flew past him, pulling his head down towards the shop floor at incredible speed, till the back of the orc's head smashed into the floor hard, causing the floor to crack where his head made contact.

Kasumi crouched low until she was underneath the minotaur, at which point she swept her leg under his to knock him off balance. With that she poised herself, aiming her folded sickles at his gut, and thrust both of them forwards with great force. The minotaur keeled over in pain as he was sent flying into the shelves behind him, landing hard on his back, holding his gut in agony.

Kestria flew towards the lizardman, before thrusting a talon forwards to grasped his head in between her claws. With amazing aerodynamic skill, she twisted her body mid-air, and flung the man towards the ceiling with a graceful backflip. The lizardman hit the ceiling hard enough for his upper body to penetrate the surface, though not forceful enough to pass through fully, as his lower body was left hanging limp from the ceiling.

The silver-haired raptor harpy landed gracefully in front of the counter, standing herself up straight as she looked towards the terrified shop clerk on the other side of the counter. ''You okay there Bud?'' Kestria asked with a face full of confidence with a massive grin forming on her lips.

''Y-Y-Yeah, I'm good thanks to you girls.'' The young man replied as his face went bright red at the sight of the graceful harpy.

Kestria folded her wings under her chest and rested them on top of the counter, staring straight back at the clerk. ''Awesome. You think you could hook us up with some free stuff for taking care of these thugs for you? Pretty please?'' She asked him with a flirtatious smile and a wink as she used her feminine wiles to coax the young man into giving her some freebies.

While the raptor harpy was busy teasing the store clerk, Raia shot out three strands of wrappings from her arms, pulling the criminals towards her, and then wrapped them up in order to prevent their escape. ''Well, that was disappointingly easy.'' The mummy commented as she sat atop the bound orc who was currently unconscious, crossing her legs as she did so.

''Yeah, didn't even break a sweat.'' Blare added with a hint of disappointment as she rested her back against the front counter and propped her elbows up on the counter top.

''Indeed, I was hoping for more of a challenge.'' Kasumi added with a slight pout on her face.

 _DING_

The four liminals looked towards the front entrance to see Vee in her child-like form running in, wearing her dark blue rain coat and boots. The slime girl's eyes lit up upon seeing her friends. ''Kasumi!'' She exclaimed as she ran towards the empusa and hugged her.

Kasumi wrapped her lower arms around the slime girl's chest and placed her sickles atop her shoulders. ''Vee, what are you doing her? Isn't Senpai with you?'' The empusa asked with a quizzical look on her face.

The adorable orange slime girl looked up happily at Kasumi. ''We're here to get snacks, Yuuto said this was the best place to get them.'' Vee answered gleefully.

 _DING_

The sliding doors opened as the aforementioned blonde agent came running into the convenience store to catch up with the excitable orange slime, stopping to rest his hand on his knees as he caught his breath.

''Vee, what did I tell you about running off by yourself? You know you can't…'' Yuuto trailed off as he looked up to find his squad mates standing around a group of tied up liminal men, while noticing that the interior of the store looked like a bomb shell had just hit it, namely the girls of Squad Bravo. ''What the hell did I just miss?'' He added as he raised an eyebrow quizzically.

''Hey Stud! You just missed one hell of a fight! These dumbasses didn't stand a chance!'' Blare replied excitedly as she waved a hand at him and gave him a wink.

''Yeah, you should have seen their faces when I ripped their guns from their hands.'' Raia added with a smile of her own.

''Hey Hotshot, you want something while we're here? It's on the house.'' Kestria asked, looking over her shoulder at the human agent.

''B-But I didn't say I could do that…'' The shop clerk stuttered from behind the counter.

''Senpai, could you call Ms Smith about getting a detainment team here please? I would do it myself, but I am currently occupied.'' Kasumi asked plainly, while Vee was nuzzling herself against the empusa's chest.

''…I can't take my eyes off you girls for one minute, can I?'' Yuuto sighed to himself in disbelief.

At the very least, there was never a dull moment for the members of MON's Bravo Squad.


	18. Dark side of the Moon (Part 1)

It was night time at the apartment complex where the MON team called home, and the full moon was out in full strength. Deep in the basement of the building, the Interspecies Cultural Exchange Program had set up a 'Full Moon Panic Room' for the local human employees that worked for them. The basement had basically been converted to a large sleeping area that had numerous bunk beds, as well as some basic cleaning facilities, all locked behind a large vault-like door which could only be accessed by an electronic key card only given to the human employees. Most people had retired for the night, but Ms Smith and Yuuto were still up, having a very important discussion, well, it was important for Kuroko at least.

''Out of everything you could've forgotten about today, and it had to be my coffee, didn't it?'' Smith said a menacing tone, her sunglasses lowered to reveal her brown eyes contorted with anger towards the blonde agent. Said blonde agent was currently hanging upside-down, being tied and held up by linen bandages coming from Raia's arm, who was sat on a bunk bed behind him, along with Zombina.

''To be fair, Ma'am, I had a lot to deal with today, so coffee was kind of on the back burner at the time. Don't even mention that I just found out about the full moon only a few hours ago.'' Yuuto defended himself against Smith's accusations, despite the fact that his face went red from having the blood rush to his head.

Kuroko was not about to let him get away with what she thought was a lazy excuse. ''Okay, first off, if you found the time to get gifts for your little slime friend, you could've found time to get me my favourite coffee blend. As for the full moon situation, you could've easily found that out yourself, you're a big boy now, remember?'' The government agent had taken her sunglasses off her face at this point, which meant she was in serious mode.

''…Duly noted, but can I just ask one thing?''

''What would that be, Bishie-kun?'' Smith asked with a sinister smile forming on her lips.

''WHY AM I BEING HUNG UPSIDE-DOWN LIKE THIS?!'' Yuuto shouted in protest as he feebly tried to shake himself free from his bonds that were Raia's wrappings.

''It's part of your punishment, one, for letting Vee drink my coffee, and two, for failing to replace it.'' She answered as she placed her sunglasses back on her face, despite it being pointless at this time of night, though her look just wouldn't be complete without them.

''To be fair, Medjay, you should own up to your mistakes and take it like a man.'' Raia added as she pulled on the wrappings she used to tie up the human, causing him to swing backwards and forwards.

''You just wanted an excuse to tie me up, didn't you?'' Yuuto asked with a hint of annoyance.

''Is there anything wrong with that?'' She retorted as she gave him a wink.

Yuuto just scowled at her as he continued to sway forwards and backwards from his current position, while the mummy merely smiled back at him, her face feigning innocence.

Up until now, Zombina was trying her best to stifle her snickering over the current situation her fellow squad captain had found himself in. Eventually, she couldn't hold it in, and let out a gut-wrenching laugh that could wake the dead, though everyone who fit that description were already present and fully awake.

''What so funny, Zee?!'' Yuuto exclaimed as he furrowed his brows at the zombie.

Zombina continued to laugh for a good few seconds before trying to get her words out. ''HAHAHAHA! Sorry Beesh, but you look like one of them piñatas! I'm dying all over again here!'' She continued to howl with laughter as she fell on her side onto the bed, holding her sides as to try to stop her stitches from coming apart.

Yuuto sighed to himself in frustration as he got tired of being hung upside-down. ''Raia, I know you're enjoying this, but can you let me down now, please?''

The mummy looked towards Ms Smith, who in turn nodded back at her. With that, Raia undid the wrappings from Yuuto in an instant, causing the young man to yelp as he dropped to the floor suddenly and hit the ground with a loud thud.

''Whoops, sorry Medjay. Probably should've lowered you first.'' Raia said as she rubbed the back of her head out of embarrassment. ''You okay there?''

He only responded with a groan of pain, as Zombina's hysterical laughter had gotten louder again with this new incident. The blonde sat up straight and rubbed the top of his head where he landed, the exact same place that Lala had hit him with the blunt end of her scythe earlier. ''Yeah, I'm good. Probably just a concussion, that's all.'' He answered sarcastically as he stood up.

''Excuse me, Ms Smith?''

The group of four looked towards one of the nearby bucks to find the brunette receptionist that worked at the apartment complex, sat on the bed with a look of worry on her face.

''Is everything alright, Asano-san?'' Smith asked with questioning look.

''I was just wondering, why are Miss Zombina and Miss Raia with us? Are they not affected by the full moon?'' Asano asked while nervously fidgeting at the hem of her skirt.

''Ah, a good question.'' Kuroko replied with a confident smile as she took her sunglasses off once more.

'' _I wish you'd make up your mind with those cheap shades…''_ Yuuto thought to himself with a look of annoyance.

''Well, as you are well aware, the undead are basically walking, talking, human corpses. As you know, humans aren't usually affected by the effects of the full moon, so it only reasonable to assume the same applies to the undead.''

''Oh, I see.'' The brunette replied, before turning her attention to Raia and Zombina. ''I'm sorry for assuming the worst. I didn't mean to insinuate that you were dangerous to us.'' She continued as she bowed at them.

Zombina calmed herself down as she sat up straight on the bed again. ''Don't sweat is, Asano. You should've seen Beesh this time last month, Smith forgot to mention that little detail to him, and he was shitting himself when he found out we were sharing a buck!'' She said with a massive grin on her face.

''Yeah, thanks for the reminder, Zee…'' Yuuto replied unenthusiastically as he remembered the events of the last full moon. He had spent most of the night wide awake, worried that Zombina would try something. He woke up the morning after to find that the zombie had snuck into his bunk, sleeping on top of him, though getting up was easier said than done as she had a particularly bad case of Rigor Mortis that morning.

As the zombie was snickering to herself again, his phone started ringing suddenly. He pulled it out of his pocket to find that Kimihito was calling. He answered the call and put the phone to his ear. ''Hey Kimihito, what's up?''

''Oh, Yuuto! Thank god you answered, I'm in a bit of a predicament!'' The host answered panickily in a hushed tone, as to not attract the attention of his homestays.

''Well, that's an understatement, considering the whole harem situation…''

''That's not the problem! I can't find the access card for the panic room Ms Smith installed after what happened during the full moon last month! I've tried calling her, but it says that she's engaged right now, so I could really use your help right now!''

The blonde agent looked over at Kuroko, who was currently looking away from him, trying to act as if she wasn't over-hearing their conversation. ''Where are you hiding right now?'' Yuuto asked as he returned his attention to his friend in distress.

''I'm hiding under the stairs, though I'm not sure how long it'll be till the girls find out where I am! I'd rather not have a repeat of last month!'' Kimihito replied, barely keeping himself from yelling.

''Alright, I'm on my way. Try not to get raped in the meantime, okay?'' Yuuto said in a serious tone.

This had caused the liminal host to go quiet for a second, possibly shocked by the blunt statement he received from his friend. ''…I'll try…''

''Good, stay safe.'' With that, he ended the call and pocketed his phone, before returning his attention to Smith. ''How come you didn't answer his call?'' He asked his superior, sounding rather annoyed with the government agent.

She turned to face him while nervously rubbing the back of her head. ''Well, you see, I might've accidently broke my phone after I flipped out at you this morning, so yeah, that happened…''

Yuuto sighed in frustration before turning to face the two undead sitting behind him. ''Okay girls, we've got a situation at the Kurusu residence. We're suiting up.''

''Alright, some action!'' Zombina exclaimed as she practically jumped out her seat on the bunk bed.

''I was wondering when we were going to get a rescue mission.'' Raia added with a smile as she stood to her feet.

''You three go on ahead, I'll keep an eye on things here. Just stay safe, you're well aware of how unpredictable moon-frenzied liminals are. That goes double for you, Bishie-kun.'' Smith said as the trio of MON agents went to the emergency locker in the panic room.

''Yeah, I just hope Blare and the others took my advice on going to bed early tonight…'' He replied with a sense of dread in his voice.

Yuuto, Zombina, and Raia got to the locker and each pulled out a tranquilizer gun with spare ammunition, as well as a number of small spheres that seemed to contain water in them.

''Nice, they finally got us those water grenades we've been asking for.'' Zombina said to herself as she strapped a belt of the across her chest, before pulling out a pair of water guns, one in each hand, grinning menacingly as she did so.

''I'll just stick to my tranquilizers, don't want to get my wrappings soaked.'' Raia added as she checked the weapon over, making sure it was in working order.

As Yuuto finished strapping a belt of water grenades across his chest, he holstered his gun and made his way to the bunk bed he was assigned, and knelt down to retrieve Black Lotus, which he left there just in case of an emergency.

Smith eyed up the blonde suspiciously as he pulled the weapon from under his bed. ''Bishie-kun, I hope you're not…''

''It's a last resort.'' He interrupted his superior. ''Besides, two of the homestays are known to have weapons of their own, so I'd rather have a means of defending myself in that regard.'' The blonde agent continued as he strapped the katana to his belt before making his way back towards his undead comrades. ''You two ready to go?''

''You don't have to ask me twice!'' Zombina exclaimed excitedly.

''Ready when you are, Medjay.'' Raia answered confidently as she grabbed the car keys for the SUV.

''Great, let's go.''

With that, the trio of MON agents left the panic room and shut it behind them. As the group left, Asano stood up from her bed and made her way to Kuroko, who was looking towards the sealed door. ''Ms Smith, are they going to be okay?'' The brunette asked worriedly, with her hands held to her chest.

''As long as they're careful, they'll be just fine. We're talking about some of the best combatants currently working in Japan, so you have nothing to worry about.'' Smith said this to calm down the poor woman, but in her own mind, she was just as worried about her subordinates' wellbeing. They were good, but they were dealing with moon-frenzied liminals, who are a lot more dangerous in their current state of mind, having no control over their strength and inhibitions. If the MON agents weren't careful, they could easily be killed, but not before being taking advantage of by the lust-crazed individuals. They had skill, but they would also need all the luck they could get.

* * *

Racing down the road at full speed, Raia drove the SUV to its limits as they raced their way to the Kurusu residence. Zombina was in the back, pumping up her water guns, readying herself for the conflict ahead. Meanwhile, Yuuto was in the front passenger seat, checking his tranquilizer gun over to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with it. As he did so, he suddenly tensed up, and looked at the side mirror of the car with worry on his face.

''What's the matter, Medjay?'' Raia asked as soon as she noticed that he went on edge.

''Call me crazy, but I think we're being followed.''

Zombina looked through the rear window, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. ''Can't see anything, though you can't be too careful.''

Out of nowhere, Yuuto was struck by a sudden but sharp pain in his head, which caused him to wince in pain.

''Medjay, you alright?!'' The mummy asked with worry, trying her best to keep her eyes on the road.

''Yeah, that looked really painful.'' Zombina added as she leant forwards and place a hand on his shoulder.

''I'll be alright. Just hit my head hard a couple times already today, it's probably just a backlash.'' The human replied defensively, more concerned about not worrying his companions.

''Beesh…''

''I'm fine, trust me.'' He said abruptly, not wanting the zombie to worry about him right now, as they had more important things to be concerned about.

Zombina removed her hand from his shoulder and sat back into her seat, though she wasn't satisfied with his answer. Before they knew it, they made it to the Kurusu residence without much difficulty, and Raia pulled the SUV if front of the pathway leading to the house. The mummy turned off the engine as Yuuto and Zombina got out of the car in a flash. Raia was right on their tails as the group silently made their way to the front door. As they got there, Yuuto heard a commotion coming from the living room. With that he made his way to the window, gesturing his undead companions to follow. The trio looked through the front window to find Miia, Papi, Mero, and Suu, wearing nothing but their undergarments, laying on the ground, surrounding poor Kimihito.

''Oh, Darling, forget about that stupid law. You know you want me.'' Miia whispered seductively into his ear as she coiled her tail around him.

''No! Boss wants to do naughty stuff with Papi!'' The blue haired harpy shouted in protest as she tried to snuggle up close to him.

''I must object, Beloved desires to do such lewd things to me! Having him ravish me in front of you two would be so tragic!'' Mero interjected as she tugged at his arm to gain possession of the poor human.

''Suu! Suuuuuu!'' The blue slime exclaimed as she wrapped her arms and tendrils around his chest.

''Girls…! You're… going to kill me… at this rate…!'' Kimihito shouted between ragged breaths as Miia's coils tightened around his chest, with seemingly no way out.

''Shit, we need to get in there, fast.'' Yuuto said in a hushed tone.

''So, what's the plan?'' Raia asked as she readied her weapon.

''I'll need you to contain Suu with your wrappings, I'll dart the other girls and secure Kimihito. Zee, I need you to… Zee?'' He looked to where the zombie was to find that she had disappeared.

From behind, the pair heard the pounding of feet, followed by what sounded like a battle cry, as Zombina rushed towards the window as fast as she could. ''AAAAAARRRRRHHHHHHHHH!'' As she let out a bellowing roar, she jumped towards the window, tucking her arms and legs to her chest, and smashed through the window with the force of a wrecking ball.

''…Keep forgetting she loves to play Rambo….'' Yuuto sighed to himself, almost forgetting about the zombie's reckless behaviour. ''C'mon, let's get in there.''

Zombina crashed through the window and went into a forward roll before she stood up and pulled out the two water guns she brought with her, pointing them at the group in front of her. ''Freeze!'' She shouted at the top of her lungs, before firing the freezing cold water at the lust-crazed liminals.

Suu rolled to the side as Kimihito and the other homestays were struck by the cold water, which brought the girls back to their senses for the time being. Yuuto and Raia made their way through the broken window while the girls were trying to make sense of what was going on, giving the blonde agent enough time to dart Miia, Papi, and Mero with tranquilizers. Raia shot her wrappings at Suu and trapped the blue slime within her wrappings, forming a spherical prison with her bandages. The mummy secured her for now, but it would only be a matter of time until she could squirm her way out.

''I'll go get a bag to put her in, just hold on tight! Zee, go help Kimihito!'' Yuuto ordered as he ran towards the kitchen as fast as he could.

''Got it, just hurry up!'' Raia shouted back, struggling to keep the slime contained.

''Hey Loverboy, you alright?'' Zombina asked the human as she pulled him up from under the unconscious girls.

''Yeah, though I think I might've broken a rib or two…'' Kimihito replied, rubbing the back of his head as he stood to his feet.

Yuuto had made it to the kitchen in record time, and frantically searched the cupboards till he found a plastic bag large enough to fit Suu in. He made his way through the dining room and back into the living room as fast as he came in, though as he left, a shadowy figure started forming behind him, seemingly from nowhere.

''Zee, Catch!'' The blonde shouted as he reached the living room, scrunching up the bag into a ball before throwing it towards the zombie.

After sitting Kimihito onto the couch, she caught the bag and made her way to where Raia was keeping Suu contained, opening the bag up as she did so. ''Alright Slimy, in you go!'' Zombina exclaimed as the mummy opened up a hole in her prison so she could force the slime into the bag.

Yuuto sighed in relief as he leant against the doorframe and wiped his brow with his forearm. ''Great job girls, that was a close one.''

His relief was short lived as the blade of a black scythe materialised in front of him, the notch of the blade pressed against his neck. Before he could react, he was dragged backwards into the dining room by the weapon, flinging him into the table with a great amount of force. The table broke where he landed, causing it to snap in half. He was left lying up against the table as the back end of it was still standing, supporting his weight. As he came to his senses, he looked up to see the figure of Lala standing before him, holding her scythe to her side, wearing nothing but her scarf, a black frilly bra, and black frilly panties, looking down at him, her face filled with lust.

''Lala, what are you…'' He was cut short as the dullahan struck the blade of her scythe into the floor right next to him, causing him to flinch.

As he was caught off guard, Lala straddled his waist and pressed herself up against him, before forcibly pressing her lips against his. She moaned with pleasure as she wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing him closer into her lustful embrace. Yuuto tried his best to protest as she slipped her tongue into his mouth, grinding her hips against his manhood as she did so. After a moment, their lips parted as the dullahan caught her breath, her grinding slowing to a halt as she looked deep into him eyes, a seductive smile creeping onto her face.

''Yuuto, it is time fer ye tae fulfil yer destiny, and bind yer soul with mine.'' Lala said with half lidded eyes, clearly not in control of her own actions right now. Even in her moon-frenzied state, she was unwilling to waver from her chuunibyou nature.

''Lala, we can't…'' Yuuto was cut off again as the dullahan pressed her lips to his once more.

Suddenly, his mind went blank, his senses overpowered by the woman currently showering him with affection, her lips gliding across his own, her breasts pressing up his chest, her hips grinding up against his. With all this sensory overload, he found it hard to concentrate as his thought became clouded. Without realising it, he found himself placing an arm on her back, and the other wrapping itself around her waist, seemingly of their own accord.

'' _Yuuto, what the hell are you doing?! You know this isn't right!''_ His rational thoughts screamed at him to stop.

'' _But she's practically telling you to fuck her. You know you want it as much as she does.''_ His primal urges reasoned, all too aware that he was enjoying the experience.

''Mmmmm, Yuuto…'' Lala slurred as the pair continued to kiss passionately, starting to trace a hand down the man's chest, slowly inching towards his nether regions.

'' _You can't do this to her! She may not be in her right mind now, but she trusts you, and you're willing to throw that away just for a quick fuck?! She'll get deported, and the chances are that you'll never see her again!''_ His rational thoughts protested once more, demanding that he stop this instant.

'' _She wants you to take her. Are you going to push her away all for your own self-righteousness?''_ His urges argued, knowing his self-control was at its limits.

'' _But you can't take advantage of her like this! She loves you!''_

In that instant, his mind replayed all the memories he had of Lala, from their first meeting in Limbo, to their unexpected reunion, and everything since then, all the way to her tender kiss on his cheek earlier that day. He knew in that instant that she trusted him wholeheartedly, and he knew he could never betray that trust. Something in his mind snapped as his thoughts became his own once more, no longer a slave to his primal desires. Without any delay, he grabbed the wrist of her arm tracing down his chest with his left hand, and pushed her back slightly with is right, causing them to part for the moment. Lala looked at him in confusion, unable to understand why he was putting a stop to their affections.

''Lala… we can't… not like this…'' Yuuto strained as he looked into her golden eyes, tears trickling from his own, pleading her to stop.

The dullahan's eyes widened with shock, momently freed from her lust-crazed state at his pleading words. She realised what she had done, what she had almost done to him, as tears started trailing down her own cheeks.

''Yuuto…'' Lala replied, struggling to keep her words coherent as she fought to hold back her tears, ashamed that she couldn't control herself, and nearly defiled the man she loved out of need of her own lust.

Before she could continue, she felt a pair of hands grasp at her head, and pulled it up from her shoulders. Kimihito held her head up high in the hopes that her body would do what it could to retrieve it. Thankfully, the host's efforts weren't in vain, as her body rose from the blonde agent, trying desperately to get her head back, but was just barely out of reach. As her body struggled to get back her cranium, it was hit with a tranquilizer dart, fired from Zombina's gun, who was currently standing in the doorway between the living room and the dining room. The drugs quickly took effect as her body fell limp to the ground, falling backwards on top of Yuuto, who grunted in pain as her body fell on top of him. Surprisingly, as her body fell limp, Lala's eyes strained to stay open, before her head slipped into unconsciousness.

Kimihito sighed in relief as he brought her head down from above him and held it in his arms. ''Well that was close.'' He then looked towards his friend who was currently propping the dullahan's body off of himself so he could give himself room to breathe. ''You alright, Yuuto?'' The host asked with visible concern.

The blonde agent gently laid Lala's body to the ground before he sat himself up straight, rubbing the back of his head as he did so. ''Yeah, I'm good, though I've felt better.'' He replied looking up at Kimihito, as well as Lala's head.

Zombina holstered her gun as she made her way towards the blonde, while Raia came in behind her, with Suu tied up inside a plastic bag as to prevent the slime's escape. ''Geez Beesh, don't scare us like that.'' The zombie said as she crouched down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.

''Sorry, I got caught off guard, but I'm fine now.'' Yuuto replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

''What was that all about, Medjay? It's not like you to lose your focus like that.'' Raia asked, curious as to why the captain had allowed himself to let his guard down.

''Yeah, you're normally on point with this sort of thing.'' Kimihito added with a hint of worry.

Zombina sighed to herself before directing her attention towards the human and mummy. ''It might sound crazy, but Beesh here suffers from the effects of the full moon too, though to a lesser degree than most liminals.'' She answered in an all too serious tone.

''Wait, what?!'' Kimihito exclaimed in surprise, not quite believing what he was hearing.

''But how is that possible? He's human.'' Raia added as her face sported a look of confusion.

Yuuto stubbled to his feet as Zombina helped him up. ''I don't understand it myself, but Smith told me that a small minority of humans still hold a strong connection to their primal instincts, much like the case with most liminals. I've had problems getting to sleep during a full moon for as long as I can remember, and it's the same for my sister too.''

Kimihito and Raia looked at each other, somewhat sceptical about what Yuuto had just told them, but they pushed their doubts from their minds, and nodded at him, trusting his explanation.

After he nodded back at them, he knelt to the ground and picked up Lala's body, holding her in a princess carry. ''Anyway, enough about that. I think we should tuck the girls in for the night while it's quiet.'' He said as he made his way to the living room.

''Right, I'd rather they didn't catch a cold on my watch.'' Kimihito added as he followed after him.

''Alright, but let's hurry it up. Spider-butt might be laying a trap for us as we speak, and I'd rather not find out what Lil Miss Knight will do if she catches us trying to drag Loverboy away from here.'' Zombina responded, readying her tranquilizer gun just in case.

* * *

Fifthteen minutes had passed as Yuuto and Kimihito were putting the girls to bed, with Zombina and Raia standing guard, just in case Centorea and Rachnera decided to show themselves. Yuuto was currently in Lala's room, which was decorated with a number of gothic-themed posters and a small collection for fantasy themed figurines, most relating to death in some way. There was also a bookshelf that had a small manga collection, which mainly consisted of Soul Eater, Berserk, and also Bleach. Sleeping under a black duvet, Lala was laying on her front, her head held in her arms as it sat on a black pillow. Yuuto pulled the duvet over her with a smile on his face, finding the sight of the sleeping dullahan too adorable. As distressing as the situation was earlier when he was pinned under the lust-crazed reaper, he knew that it wasn't her fault, and he couldn't say much himself, seeing he was partially affected by the full moon himself.

''Hey Beesh, we better make a move! Who knows what's waiting for us out there!'' Zombina yelled from the other side of the door.

''Just give me a sec!'' He exclaimed in response. He returned his attention to Lala as he gently kissed the girl's forehead before getting up to make his way to the door. ''Sweet dreams.'' He said quietly as a blush appeared on his cheeks, before turning the knob on the door and left the room, closing the door behind in a quietly as he could.

Zombina was waiting outside for him with her tranquilizer gun out, looking at him with a teasing grin. ''Took your damn time, Beesh. Almost thought you were going to sneak into bed with her.'' She said in a sultry tone, at which the human's face went bright red with embarrassment.

''Th-This isn't the time to joke around, you know.'' Yuuto protested in a hushed tone, as to not wake Lala up.

''Yeah, I know. Raia and Loverboy are waiting downstairs for us, so let's get a move on.'' She replied as she made her way downstairs.

''Right.''

As the pair made their way downstairs, they saw Raia and Kimihito waiting by the front door for them, with the human holding the bag that Suu was currently confined to. ''You all done?'' The mummy asked, clearly wanting to get back to the apartment complex as soon as possible.

''Yeah, we're good.'' Yuuto replied as he readied his own tranquilizer gun.

Raia nodded in response as she opened the front door and made her way to the SUV, with everyone following behind her. The group got to the car and got in, Raia taking the driver's seat, Yuuto in the front passenger seat, Zombina in the back behind the blonde agent, and Kimihito sat right behind Raia. They all buckled up as the mummy started up the engine.

''I hope the girls are going to be okay…'' Kimihito said worryingly to himself, not happy with leaving the girls by themselves.

''They'll be fine, Liminals are pretty tough.'' Zombina replied in an upbeat tone.

''Yeah, they'll be fine in the morning.'' Yuuto added with his tranquilizer gun readied.

''Right, anyway, let's get going.'' Raia said with a sense of urgency.

With that, they drove off and started to make their way back to the apartment complex. As they drove off, a slender figure that was sat on top of the Kurusu household spread their wings and took flight, silently trailing the SUV in the night sky. This night was far from over for the MON agents.

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone, just so you know, the Full Moon arc will be a long one, so I'll be dividing into two, maybe three parts, that and I seem to love leaving you all with a cliffhanger. My reasoning for having Zombina and Raia being largely unaffected by the full moon is that as undead, they already have lower inhibitions, as explained on Zombina's character profile in the manga. As to why Yuuto is affected by the full moon, I'll be keeping that a secret, and leave you to your own conclusions. As always, if you enjoyed my story, feel free to follow and favourite, as well as drop a review, and maybe add your own suggestions for the story. Once again, thank you for reading, and I'll see you next time.


	19. Dark side of the Moon (Part 2)

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry about the wait. Hopefully, this should be a satisfying conclusion to the night. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

The SUV sped its way down the road as it headed towards the apartment complex. Raia, who was behind the wheel, did all she could to get the vehicle there as quickly, and as safely as possible. Yuuto and Zombina had their tranquilizer guns at the ready, while Kimihito held on to the bag with Suu inside tight on top of his lap.

''Is it me, or do you guys think it's too quiet right now?'' The mummy asked, starting to get paranoid that their trip back is going a little too smoothly, considering they got out of the Kurusu residence without running into Centorea or Rachnera.

''Yeah, I get what you mean.'' Yuuto replied with a hint of worry. ''Let's just keep moving for now.''

''Master, I don't like it in here…'' Suu pleaded, wanting to be let out of the bag.

''I'm sorry Suu, just try and get some rest and I'll let you out in the morning, okay?'' Kimihito said in a comforting tone, trying to calm the slime sitting on his lap.

''To be honest Beesh, I'm surprised that Blare and the others haven't tried to track you down yet, considering the whole dating thing that Smith dropped on you.'' Zombina said as she kept an eye out for anything suspicious.

''Please don't jinx it, Zee…'' Yuuto replied as he started to get paranoid himself.

As the car sped down the road, the group could hear the faint clopping of hooves from behind them, and it was slowly getting louder. Raia quickly checked the rear-view mirror to check if they were being followed, but saw nothing behind them.

''You guys hear that clopping sound, right?'' She asked in hopes that she wasn't losing her sanity.

''Yeah, that'll be Lil Miss Knight coming after us, but where the fuck is she?'' Zombina replied as she checked the back window and saw no one following them.

As the clopping of hooves got louder, Yuuto could make out it was coming from his side of the car. As he looked ahead, he noticed that the road that they were going down had a small alleyway entrance coming up on the left-hand side.

''Raia! Swerve to the right!'' He shouted with sudden realization.

''Right!'' She shouted back at him as she spun the steering wheel clockwise.

As they veered to the right, they saw Centorea sailing through the air towards them from the alleyway, landing hard into the ground with her front hooves just to the left of them, leaving a small crater where she landed. As they drove past, the centaur went galloping after them as fast as she could, able to gain ground on them due to the narrow street they were going down.

''Scoundrels! You will not take my Master from me!'' The centaur shouted at the top of her lungs as she readied her bow she had strapped around her chest.

''Cerea?!'' Kimihito exclaimed in surprise at the sudden arrival of his equestrian homestay.

Centorea pulled an arrow from the quiver strapped to her back and notched it to the bow, before she pulled back on the string and let the arrow fly. The projectile pierced through the back window, causing it to shatter, and hit the radio system right next to Yuuto and Raia.

''Seriously, why the fuck does she even have those?!'' Raia complained, trying desperately to gain some distance from the enraged centaur.

Zombina turned around in her seat and took aim at the centaur with her tranquilizer gun. She fired off a shot, but Centorea quickly juked to the left, narrowly avoiding the dart. Zombina kept up her barrage of shots at the centaur, but in her moon-frenzied state, the young knight was far too nimble to hit. Centorea fired off another arrow that flew right passed the zombie's head, and shattered the front window.

''Hey Zombina! You mind dealing with her already?! I can't concentrate like this!'' Raia shouted, losing her cool under the constant assault.

''I'm trying here! Frenzied liminals don't tend to keep still!'' Zombina yelled back at the mummy, her temper reaching its limits.

''Just try to keep calm everyone, I'm sure you're all doing your best here…'' Kimihito said in a panicked tone, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm his own nerves, clutching to the bag containing Suu for dear life.

''Seriously Kimihito, how the hell did you lose the key card, tonight, of all nights I may add?!'' Yuuto exclaimed in an annoyed tone.

''Well, I left it on the counter in the hallway, ready for when I went to the panic room, but when I went to get it, it was already gone…'' The liminal host replied nervously, ready for the lecture he was about to receive.

The blonde agent sat in silence for a moment, giving his friend the evil eye, for basically endangering their lives, all because of his negligence. ''You left the key card for the one room in the house that would protect you, in a house with seven liminal homestays, most of which are trying desperately to get together with you, on the one night which they'll risk life and limb to fuck you, and you left it out in the open where any of them could snatch it away?!''

''I'm sorry!'' Kimihito shouted in a panic. ''I trusted the girls enough that they'd let me get into the panic room for all our sakes! I just thought that…'' The host trailed off as he looked down at the bagged-up Suu, and noticed that the key card he had been looking for was floating in her gelatinous form. ''Oh, hey, there it is!'' He shouted in joy upon finding his salvation within the blue slime. ''Suu, did you keep hold of it for me?''

''It's a bit fucking late for that now, Kimihito! We're almost at the apartment complex!'' Yuuto finally lost his cool because of his friend's blunder, which caused the host to clutch at Suu's bag again in a panic.

''Well, at least Ms Smith won't have to worry about getting a replacement key card.'' He replied nervously as he rubbed the back of his head, not wanting to anger the blonde agent any further, though his efforts were in vain.

''…Remind me to castrate you if we survive all this…'' Yuuto said as he furrowed his eyebrows at the host.

''What?!''

''If it makes you feel any better, Beesh, at least it can't get any worse.'' Zombina interjected, trying to put a positive light on the situation.

As if on cue, something hit the top of the SUV with a good amount of force, causing the car to swerve momentarily, though Raia was able to straighten the vehicle out before they could crash. Shortly after, a yellow-scaled clawed talon ripped into the roof with great ease.

''You just had to jinx it, didn't you?!'' Yuuto shouted at the zombie as the claw was sheering the roof right above him.

Within seconds, the roof above Yuuto was ripped open, and with the hole large enough, the slender figure jumped in and landed on top of the human, straddling him as they did so. He looked up to see Kestria's azure blue eyes, glazed over and staring at him lustfully.

''Hey Hotshot, ready to have some fun?'' She asked in a low sultry voice, which instantly put Yuuto on edge.

He tried to raise his tranquilizer gun to shoot the raptor harpy, but she knocked the weapon from his hand with her wing before he could pull the trigger. The gun was sent flying towards Kimihito, smacking him hard in the face before dropping to the host's lap. Yuuto couldn't help but think there was some sort of karma involved in the incident as the host groaned in pain. As he was distracted, she pinned him back against the seat with her wings, as she started to grind her hips against his, causing her to moan with pleasure.

''Mmmm, wow. I can't believe you've kept this beast hidden from me this whole time.'' Kestria whispered into his ear as she rocked against him harder, before lightly biting at his earlobe.

The blonde's face turned red as he was starting to lose control of his thoughts again. ''Zee, I could use a little help here!'' Yuuto shouted as he struggled to push the harpy off himself, but her grip on him was so strong, his efforts were in vain.

''Alright, just hold on a sec!'' Zombina shouted back at him as she reached for a water gun, and pumped it frantically, before taking aim at Kestria's face. ''Hey, Kes! Drink up!'' With that the zombie fired a high-pressure stream of cold water at the harpy's face, which also hit the back of Yuuto's head.

The shock of the cold water hitting her caused Kestria to lean back from Yuuto suddenly, much to the human's relief. The harpy shook her head dry as she regained control of herself momentarily, confused as to why she was sat on top of her squad captain.

''Um, Hotshot? Not that I'm complaining, but why am I sitting on you?'' Kestria said with an eyebrow raised in confusion.

With her defences open, the blonde agent quickly grabbed the sides of his squad mate's hips, causing the girl to gasp in surprise. ''I'm sorry Kes.'' Yuuto replied, before putting all his strength into flinging the harpy into the back seat between Kimihito and Zombina.

Kestria grunted in pain as she landed in the back seat, but before she could get up, Zombina aimed her gun at the harpy, and fired a tranquilizer at her butt. Kestria looked back at her rump as she started getting sleepy. ''Seriously, why my ass?'' She slurred out before losing consciousness.

''Heh, that's one less problem at least.'' Zombina said with a massive grin as she put her weapons to one side, before pulling the dart out of the raptor harpy. ''Hey Loverboy, mind helping me get Kes buckled in?''

''Oh, sure.'' Kimihito replied as the pair held either side of the harpy and got her seated properly.

''Hate the ruin the mood guys, but we've still got a frenzied centaur on our tail.'' Raia interjected as she tried her best to gain some distance from Centorea.

Soon after she said that, the centaur fired off another arrow, striking one of the back wheels. The tire burst, and the SUV started swerving uncontrollably. Everyone held on for dear life, as Raia tried to keep the vehicle on the road. Up ahead, she saw that the apartment complex was just ahead of them, their salvation close at hand.

''Everybody hold on!'' The mummy shouted as she hit the accelerator hard, surging the car forwards as the remains of the back-wheel skid against the tarmac.

As the SUV neared the complex, Raia swung the car to the left, the vehicle barely avoiding the steel fence in front of the building. With that, the mummy slammed her foot on the brake, bringing the car to a halt on the curb of the road.

No sooner had the car stopped, Yuuto undid his seat belt and grabbed his tranquilizer gun from the back seat of the car. ''You guys get Kimihito and Kes to the basement, I'll go deal with Centorea!'' He exclaimed as he got out the vehicle and started running towards the general direction of the centaur.

''Are you nuts, Beesh?! She'll tear you to shreds!'' Zombina shout at him from the car window.

''Just trust me!''

The zombie sat there in silence as she watched her best friend run off into inevitable danger without her, worried for his well-being. ''…Just don't die on me you idiot…'' She muttered to herself with a sad smile.

As the blonde made his way to the T-Junction they just come off, he saw Centorea galloping towards him, her face contorted with anger. He then came to a stop and drew Black Lotus from its sheath, and held the blade in front of him, pointing it towards the centaur. Upon seeing this, Centorea came to a halt, thirty feet in front of him, dropping her bow to the side and drew her own sword from its sheath.

''You dare try to stand between me and my Master, Knave?!'' She shouted at the human as she pointed her blade at him. ''Stand aside, otherwise I'll have no choice but to cut you down!''

''Are you even listening to yourself?! I know the moon's messing with your head big time right now, but I can't let you go through with this!'' Yuuto shouted back at her, holding his ground.

''You think you can best me in single combat?! I cannot deny your valour, but you seek a fool's errand!'' Centorea retorted as she charged at him, her blade poised. ''Prepare thyself, Kazama!''

Yuuto braced himself as Centorea closed the distance between them, her sword raised in her right hand to strike down at him with a downwards swing. As she brought the blade down on him, the MON agent dodged to the side, avoiding her strike. Centorea immediately swung the blade to the side towards him, but Yuuto ducked under the strike effortlessly. The centaur held her sword high again as she now swung down at him with a two-handed strike. Yuuto held his katana up to parry the strike, stopping the blade in its tracks. Centorea was surprised that he was able to block her attack, and as she was distracted, the human effortlessly slid the tip his blade till it was under the cross guard of her sword, before he swung his katana upwards, sending her sword flying from her hands.

''What?!'' Centorea shouted in shock, unable to believe what just happened.

As her sword was spinning in the air, Yuuto un-holstered his tranquilizer gun with his free hand and took aim at the centaur, firing two darts into her, both hitting her breasts. The equestrian knight looked down at her chest in disbelief, unable to comprehend what just happened. A centaur, trained in martial combat in the ways of her people's oldest traditions, defeated in single combat by a human, was clearly unheard of by her. She slowly buckled under her own weight as the drugs kicked in, slowly falling to one side.

''Impossible…'' Centorea slurred out, before she hit the ground and lost consciousness. Not long after she fell, the tip of her sword made contact with the road they were fighting on, and imbedded itself in the tarmac.

Yuuto straightened himself out as he looked over her unconscious form, his face gone bright red. ''Um, sorry about that…'' He muttered to himself, embarrassed that he darted both her large breasts.

Before he had time to calm himself down, his gun and Black Lotus were yanked from his hand from behind by strands of webbing, quickly followed by him being swept from his feet and tied up in spider's silk, his legs bound together and his hands tied together at the wrists above his head. By the time he knew what happened, he was already handing upside-down from the nearby lamppost, looking into the six red eyes belonging to Rachnera.

''What are you sorry about, Kazama? I thought you did a great job, dealing with Centorea for itsy bitsy me.'' The arachne said to him with a sinister smile curling onto her lips, holding Black Lotus in one hand, and his gun in the other.

''Damn it Rachnera, let me down!'' Yuuto protested as he tried to break himself free from his bonds.

''Where's the fun in that?'' Rachnera replied as she skittered over to the lamppost and stuck his weapons to it with her webbing. ''You know, I worked really hard to make sure you and your friends were comfortable.''

As Yuuto looked over to the SUV, he found that Raia and Kimihito were tied up and gagged, left sitting up against the vehicle, while Zombina was hog-tied herself, rolling from side to side on the ground, trying her best to shout through her gag.

While he was distracted, Rachnera skittered up behind him and wrapped a silk gag around his mouth too. ''Now be a good boy and let me and Honey enjoy ourselves, will you?'' She whispered into his ear, her voice as sweet as honey. ''Maybe I'll let your little Puppy know you are, and let you two have some fun later. Doesn't that sound like a good time?''

Yuuto tried his best to protest, but his words came out as mumbled ranting through his gag.

''Good. You're free to watch if that makes you feel any better.'' She added before leaving him to hang there helplessly, skittering over to her host with thoughts of carnal desire filling her mind.

'' _Crap! I need to do something fast, otherwise Kimihito's going to get fucked to death!''_ Yuuto shouted inwardly at himself as he struggled to break free.

As the arachne reached Kimihito, she crouched down and sat on his lap, straddling him with her pedipalps. The host mumbled through his gag as he tried to protest, while Rachnera merely gave him a seductive smile, anticipating the fun they were about to have.

''My, my, Honey. There's no need to be so scared, I'll make sure you enjoy your first time.'' Rachnera said to him in a sultry tone, lifting up her halter top to reveal her bare breasts before she placed a clawed hand behind his head and pressed his face in between her cleavage.

Yuuto struggled as he tried to pry his hands free of the webbing as he watched Rachnera start tormenting his friend. _''C'mon, he needs my help! Just, break, free!''_ With one great effort, he used all his strength to pull his wrists apart, forceful enough to snap the silk that bound them together, much to his own surprise. _''Holy crap, it actually worked! Thank you moon beams!''_ He shouted inwardly at himself, thankful that his condition came in useful for once.

Now that his hands were free, he looked at his chest to see that he still had the belt strap full of water grenades, his only available weapon now. He looked back towards the SUV as Rachnera was now slowly trailing a clawed hand towards Kimihito's nether regions. He didn't have much time. As he reached behind his back to undo the belt, he started to swing forwards and backwards, swaying in the general direction of the pair. As he did so, he took off the belt and activated the timers on the grenades, before swinging the belt around to his side, aiming at the arachne. As he reached the peak of his swing, he hurled the belt at Rachnera with all his might, hopeful that his plan would work.

''Don't be so shy, Honey. I'll promise you'll enjoy every minute of it.'' Rachnera cooed to him as her razor-sharp finger reached his zipper, ready to pull them down, as Kimihito looked down in horror, not ready to lose his virginity like this.

As the arachne started to pull down on his zipper, she caught the sight of an object flying towards her in her peripheral vision, causing her to stop what she was doing to see what it was. Before she could react, the grenades on the belt went off as it reached them, splashing the pair with freezing cold water, some of the splash back catching Zombina and Raia as well. Shocked by the sudden drenching, Rachnera was shaken from her lust-crazed state, now able to think straight again for the time being. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Suu was rolling around in her bag in the back seat of the SUV, trying desperately to free herself. In her struggle, she rolled over the edge of the seat, and fell next to Kestria's talon. The slime continued to roll forwards till the bag pressed up against one of the claws and ripped the bag open. She found her way out.

''Where in the world am I?'' Rachnera asked no one in particular as she looked around in confusion, until her six eyes looked down on her host she was still straddling. ''Hey Honey,'' She started, staring down at him with flushed cheeks, removing his gag with one of her claws. ''is this your idea of a good time?'' She said teasingly as she trailed the knuckles of her hand against her host's cheek as to avoid cutting him with her claws.

Kimihito gasped for breath after having the gag removed, before looking up at his homestay with a nervous look on his face. ''Rachnee! Th-This isn't what it looks like!'' He protested as his cheeks went red with embarrassment.

Before the arachne could continue with her teasing, Suu launched herself from the car window at Rachnera, sending them flying backwards, away from their host. Rachnera was now lying on her back in the middle of the road, while Suu started to wrap her tendrils around her, absorbing the water on the arachne's skin while simultaneously groping the poor woman.

''Suu, get off of me!'' Rachnera shouted in protest while the blue slime giggled to herself, enjoying her fun time with her housemate. ''This isn't funAAAHHH!'' She was cut off with a yelp as Suu wriggled her tendrils around her breasts, the tips flicking over the spider woman's bare nipples. ''No… not there… Please stop…'' She pleaded in between ragged breaths, her cheeks going bright red as she felt herself reaching a climax. ''No… that's enough Suu… I'm… I'm… AAAAAAHHHHHH!'' The arachne moaned loudly as she let off a powerful orgasm, causing her body to go limp with pleasure.

Yuuto continued to swing forwards and backwards, his own cheeks flushed red as he witnessed what happened between Rachnera and Suu. _''Well, not exactly what I planned, but that works.''_ He thought to himself, before ripping the silken gag from his face, glad to be able to breath properly once more. ''Now, I think I've had enough hanging around for one day.'' He said as he started swinging towards where his katana and gun were stuck to on the lamppost.

''Um, Yuuto? Don't want to rush you, but could you come help me out again? I think Suu is done playing with Rachnee now…'' Kimihito say in a worried tone, and he had every right to be.

As the blonde agent finally grabbed a hold of his weapons and yanked them from the lamppost, he saw the blue slime slink off Rachnera and started making her way towards Kimihito, with a predatory glint in her emerald eyes. As soon as Yuuto got his katana, he used it to slice through the webbing that bound his legs, causing to fall to the ground with a hard thud.

When he got to his feet again, he took out the ammo clip of his gun, and took all the darts within and place them in his hand. ''Just hold on, I've got a plan to stop her!'' He shouted as he started running towards the group.

As Suu got closer to the group, she crawled on top of her host's lap and started wrapping her tendrils around him, eager to absorb all the moister on him. While she was doing that, she stretched out more tendrils and started extending them towards the still tied up Zombina and Raia. The mummy tried to yell through her gag, while the zombie rolled from side to side on the ground, trying her best to get out of reach despite her current circumstance.

''Suu, can you please stop?! I don't want you to do anything you might regret!'' Kimihito yelled at her, but the slime's mind was too far gone right now to listen to his pleas, too focused on trying to take his seed.

As her hands started to slide down his pants, she felt another hand lodge into her back. She looked behind her to see that Yuuto was the one responsible, and within her, he was holding all the tranquilizer darts from his gun. ''Sorry Suu, but it's time for bed.'' The blonde said quietly before crushing the darts in his hand, careful not to stick himself with them.

As they were crushed, the liquid inside them seeped into Suu's form, and within seconds, the slime had fallen asleep and slumped into a small puddle in Kimihito's lap. It was safe to say she was out for the count.

Kimihito heaved a sigh of relief as he rubbed the back of his head, thankful that Suu hadn't had her way with him. ''Thanks, Yuuto. That was a pretty smart move there.'' He said as he looked up at the blonde agent.

''No worries, man. Just doing my job.'' Yuuto replied as he shook the excess slime from his left hand. ''You try and get Suu ready to move, I'll help out Zee and Raia.'' With that, he walked up to Zombina, who was looking up at him from the ground, and used Black Lotus to cut her free from her hog tie.

As the zombie sat up straight, she pulled off the gag that covered her mouth, while Yuuto went to Raia and cut her free from her sticky prison. ''Damn Beesh! If you weren't a badass before, you're definitely one now!'' She exclaimed with her signature grin.

Raia stood to her feet as she ripped her gag off, happy to be able to move around again. ''You've definitely earned your title, Medjay.'' She said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

''Thanks. Mind giving me your gun? I need you to carry Kes to the panic room.'' Yuuto replied as he held out a hand in front of her.

''Sure thing.'' She pulled her gun from her holster and placed it in his hand, before going to the back of the car to retrieve her unconscious harpy squad mate.

After holstering his new gun, Yuuto pulled out his phone, and called Smith. Several seconds passed before she answered his call. ''Smith here.'' She answered in a serious tone.

''We're outside the complex. Target has been extracted safely. We also need detainment units for a centaur and an arachne right outside here. We'll be with you, E.T.A. two minutes.''

''Copy that, stay safe.'' With that, Kuroko ended the call.

As the blonde pocketed his phone, Raia got out of the car, holding Kestria on her back with the help of her wrappings. Kimihito managed to scoop up Suu into his arms with some difficulty, but he was ready to go.

''Alright, I'll take point. Beesh, cover our rear. Raia, Loverboy, you two stay between us no matter what, got it?'' Zombina ordered as she took the lead.

''Got it.'' The mummy replied, while Kimihito nodded at the zombie.

With that, the group started making their way to the entrance of the apartment complex. Zombina used her key card to open the front door to the building. She peeked in to check that the cost was clear. Satisfied, she opened the door fully and stepped in with her gun raised, everyone else following after her as Yuuto kept watch from the back. As he was checking their backs, he saw a glint of light in his peripheral vision, be before he could react, a kunai struck his gun, sending it flying from his hands. He looked to where the kunai came from to see that Kasumi was running towards him at incredible speed, her focus fully on him. With no time to retrieve his weapon, he slammed the door behind him and ran to catch up with the rest of the group.

''Let's hurry it up, we've got incoming!'' Yuuto shouted at the top of his lungs.

''Right! Let's move it people!'' Zombina yelled as the group started running towards the general direction of the panic room.

As they crossed the lobby, a dark figure ran front the shadows and leapt towards the zombie. Before Zombina could react, the figure kicked her hard in the gut, sending her flying into the wall behind her as she lost grip of her weapon, now knocked out cold. After landing from their attack, the figure stood up straight, revealing herself to be Blare, her bright red eyes now fixated on Yuuto. The remainder of the group slid to a halt as the hellhound stood in their way.

''Raia, Kimihito, you two head for the panic room. I'll hold her off.'' Yuuto commanded as he drew Black Lotus from its sheath and held the weapon in front of him with both hands.

''Are you crazy?! At least let me help!'' Raia protested, worried about his well-being.

''No, I need you to keep Kimihito and Kes safe. Zee should be back on her feet in no time, so keep moving.'' The human replied, his full attention focused on Blare.

''Right.'' She replied reluctantly, now turning her attention to the host. ''C'mon Kurusu, let's get going.'' The mummy added as she made her way to their destination, with Kimihito close on her heels.

As the pair left the main lobby, Blare slowly sauntered her way towards the blonde agent, her hips and tail swaying from side to side seductively, as she stared at him, giving him the 'bedroom' eyes. ''Put the sword down, Stud. You know you want it as much as I do.'' The hellhound in a sultry, yet also husky voice, intent on making Yuuto her mate.

While they were distracted, Kasumi broke through the front door with her sickles, barging her way through as she ran towards the blonde agent. ''Senpai! There's no running now!'' The empusa shouted as she threw a bolas at him.

''No chance, Bug Eyes! Stud's mine!'' Blare yelled as she leapt towards Yuuto.

In an instant, Yuuto rolled to the side, simultaneously dodging Blare and the bolas. The bolas hit the hellhound as she sailed through the air, but Kasumi had not anticipated this, as Blare came crashing down on top of her. With the two liminals currently sprawled on the ground, Yuuto got to his feet and bolted towards the elevator as fast as his legs could take him. At this point, Zombina was coming to again as the blonde agent frantically pressed the call button for the elevator.

''C'mon, open up you stupid thing!'' He shouted as he repeatedly pressed the button.

''Beesh, the hell are you doing?'' Zombina spoke up loud enough to catch the human's attention, as she steadily sat up straight.

''Zee, meet up with me in my room as soon as you can! I'll hold them off for as long as possible!''

As he was shouting, Blare and Kasumi got back up on their feet, and started running towards their prey. As if on cue, the elevator doors opened, and Yuuto rushed inside, frantically pressing the button for the fourth floor.

''Seriously, now's not the time to be taking the piss!'' He shouted out loud, desperate to put some distance between him and his squad mates.

As if answering his pleas, the doors started to slowly close, and as Blare and Kasumi rushed for the doors, they closed fully, separated Yuuto from the now sex-crazed liminals. He heard a loud bang at the door as the elevator started to ascend. Yuuto took several deep breaths to calm himself down, before he started thinking of a plan to protect himself from being raped until Zombina showed up. He sheathed his katana again as he stood up straight, and started stretching to loosen his muscles for the upcoming sprint to his apartment.

'' _Okay, it'll take them some time to get to the fourth floor, but even then, they'll have probably caught up with me by the time I run past the staircase. If I start running as soon as the doors open, I should make it into my room and shut the door behind me before I can possibly get caught. I'll barricade the door, and fill the sink bowl with water, and if they're able to force their way in, I can drench them and snap them out of their frenzy for a short while. Hopefully, all that should delay them long enough for Zee to show up and dart them. Hopefully, it should work out.''_ With a plan in mind, he readied himself for the doors to open, hoping that Blare and Kasumi weren't already waiting for him.

 _DING_

The doors opened, and Yuuto started running for his life as he headed towards his apartment. As he passed the staircase, the door was sent flying from its hinges as Blare and Kasumi rushed through and started giving chase once again.

''STOP RUNNING, STUD! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR MISSING!'' Blare yelled at the top of her lungs as she started gaining ground on the human.

''Senpai, you can only outrun us for so long. Make it easy for yourself and let me pleasure you to your heart's content.'' Kasumi added as sweat was now glistening on her skin.

''Don't look back, just don't look back.'' Yuuto muttered to himself, trying his best to stay calm.

The door to his apartment was in sight, and he pulled out his key card, ready to open the door as soon as he got there. As he reached the door, he placed the key card into the card reader, and wait for the light to go green. Those short few seconds felt like an eternity as he caught sight of his squad mates barrelling towards him, the two of them intent on screwing him thoroughly.

''C'mon, just let me in!''

The green light came on, indicating that the door was now unlocked. With that, he swung it open as fast as he could and bolted inside. He slammed it behind him as soon as he was in and pressed his back to it, hoping the door would hold against his moon-frenzied squad mates.

''Okay, I need to find something to barricade the door with.'' Yuuto said to himself as he breathed heavily after his sprint.

No sooner had he said that, a large black furry claw and a large brown sickle burst through the door from either side of his head. Yuuto launched himself forwards to avoid being grabbed by the limbs.

'' _Okay, barricade's a no go! Got to get to the sink!''_ He shouted inwardly at himself as he ran into the apartment. He undid the strap on the sheath of his katana, and threw the weapon onto the couch before making his way towards the kitchen sink. As he turned on the tap and started filling up the bowl, Blare and Kasumi made short work of the front door, leaving scraps of wood scattered across the doorway. ''C'mon, hurry up!''

Now full, he turned off the tap, and tried to grab the bowl in the sink. Before he could, he felt a large padded hand grip his shoulder tightly, and before he could look back, he was flung on top of the bed. Before he could make sense of what happened, he found that Blare was on top of him with a clawed hand pressed hard on his chest. He grunted in pain as the tips of her claws pierced his skin and blood started to spill from the wounds.

''No getting away now, Stud. You have no idea how much I want you inside me right now.'' Blare whispered seductively into his ear before she bit hard into the crook of his neck, her canines piercing his skin. She loosened her grip to reveal a heavily bruised love bite with blood trickling from the wounds she left, before lapping her tongue over it, eager to taste him. ''Mmmm, you taste so good.''

Before the hellhound could continue, a brown carapace covered hand grabbed onto the back of her shirt, and threw her off of Yuuto. Blare landed on her paws and looked up to find Kasumi standing by the bed with her sickles held up, ready for a fight.

''Keep your dirty paws off Senpai, he's mine.'' The empusa said in a threatening tone, her green compound eyes fixated on the hellhound.

Blare's flame lashes flared up, not at all pleased about her alone time with Yuuto being interrupted. ''Get out the way, or I'll tear you a new one!'' She shouted in a commanding tone, raising her claws to her sides.

While the two liminals were focused on each other, Yuuto got off the bed and ran towards the sink and grabbed hold of the bowl. Blare and Kasumi caught sight of him and started making their way towards him, momentarily distracted from their potential fight. Before they could get close, he chucked the water at the pair, drenching them and the surrounding area. The shock of the cold water brought Blare and Kasumi to their senses again, unaware of what they were doing just moments ago.

Blare shook herself dry as she tried to make sense of what was going on. ''Huh? Why are we in Stud's room?'' She asked as she took in her surroundings.

Kasumi used her sickles to wipe the water off her face before taking note of where she was. ''Senpai, are you unharmed? I presume that we lost control of our senses.'' She said with a hint of worry in her voice.

As the pair laid eyes on their squad captain, they noticed the bite mark on his neck, as well as the blood stains on his shirt. Blare's eyes widened with shock as she realised the taste of blood in her mouth, and looked down at her left hand to see dried blood on her claws.

''Blare, it's okay. I know you didn't mean to hurt me.'' Yuuto said, trying his best to reassure the hellhound.

As he reached out to her, Blare shirked away from him, afraid that she might hurt him again. ''No, Stud. Don't touch me. I'll just hurt you again…'' Tears started flowing from her eyes as she held her arms to her chest, her hands balled up into fists, lest she ends up hurting Yuuto or anyone else.

She shut her eyes as she sobbed to herself, inwardly berating herself for what she did to him, but within moments, she found herself in Yuuto's embrace. Surprised, she looked up at him, his blue eyes staring back down at her with a smile on his face.

''You can hurt me all you like, but I'm not going anywhere.'' He said as he started stroking her hair. ''I'm always here for you if you need me, got it?''

Blare slowly nodded at him before she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her forehead against his chest. ''You really are the sweetest guy sometimes.'' She replied in a more positive tone as tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

Just then, Zombina came charging into the room with her gun raised, but was surprised to see the currently calm atmosphere. As she looked at Yuuto, the blonde agent nodded to her. She nodded back before firing at Blare and Kasumi in quick succession. The empusa dropped to the ground, while the hellhound slumped into Yuuto's arms as the drugs took effect. With the pair now sound asleep, he sat Blare down on the couch as he let out a sigh of relief.

''Thanks Zee. Wasn't sure how much longer they would…'' Yuuto was interrupted mid-sentence as Zombina wrapped her arms around his neck and tackled him to the ground.

Yuuto landed hard on his back as the zombie clinging to him started sobbing into his chest, relieved that her friend was alright. ''You idiot! Why did you run off by yourself?! They could've killed you!'' Zombina cried out loud, angry that he was being reckless, while also feeling overjoyed that he was still alive.

''Sorry I worried you, but it's okay. I'm fine.'' He replied as he wrapped an arm around her waist and placed his other arm on her back, resting his hand on the back of her head.

Zombina continued to cry as Yuuto did his best to comfort her. After a while, she calmed down and lifted herself off of him, still sitting on his lap. Yuuto sat himself up so he was face to face with her. They sat there in awkward silence, both of them unsure of what to say to the other, until Zombina placed her hands on his shoulders.

''Take off your shirt.'' The zombie said in a serious tone.

''…What?'' He answered with a quizzical look on his face.

''You're bleeding under there! So, take off your shirt!'' She shouted back at him as she started frantically pulling off his hoodie.

''Cool it, Zee! I can do that myself!''

As this was going on, Raia ran into the room as fast as she could, unaware of what was currently happening. ''You guy okay?! I came here as fast as I…'' The mummy stopped mid-sentence as she saw Zombina currently ripping Yuuto's T-shirt from his chest, the pair looking back at her with their cheeks bright red. ''Am I interrupting anything?'' She asked teasingly as she placed a hand over her lips in mock shock.

''This isn't what it looks like! Beesh is injured over here!'' Zombina replied as she finished ripping his T-shirt open.

''I told you, it's fine. It's just a few cuts and gashes'' Yuuto said to the zombie in a vain attempt to calm her down.

''Which is why you need medical attention.'' She replied as she got off him. ''Stay there, I'll get some antiseptic and something to clean up the blood.'' She added, making her way to the kitchen cupboard, stepping over the unconscious Kasumi as she did so.

Yuuto sat there in silence while Raia walked up to him, and crouched down to the side of him till they were at eye level. ''I'm impressed that you're still in one piece, Medjay, considering the beating you've taken tonight.'' The mummy said with a sense of awe as she ruffled his hair.

''I'm kind of surprised myself. Never expected to go toe to hoof with a centaur, and win on top of it.'' He replied with a hint of pride and a smirk on his face.

Zombina was soon back with two cloths, one of which was damp, and a bottle of antiseptic. She then knelt down next to him after Raia moved out of the way, then started to clean the blood off him with the damp cloth. Once all the blood was off, she took the dry cloth and put some antiseptic fluid on it, before applying it to Yuuto's wounds. The human winced in pain as this was happening, to which the zombie replied by telling him to man up.

''There, that should do it. We just need to cover them up now.'' Zombina said matter-of-factly as she screwed the cap back on the antiseptic bottle.

''I'll deal with that.'' Raia spoke as she knelt behind Yuuto and place her hand on the side of his neck, and another on his chest.

As she did that, tendrils of her wrappings coiled themselves around the human's chest and neck, putting enough pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. Once done, the wrappings separated themselves from the mummy's hands, and fasten themselves to him. Raia effortlessly removed her hands from him as Yuuto and Zombina started at her in awe.

''Okay, that's fucking awesome.'' The zombie said with her mouth slightly agape, amazed by what she just saw.

''Thanks, Raia. I owe you one.'' Yuuto added as he stood to his feet, stretching his arms as he did so.

Raia suddenly pressed herself against his back, wrapping an arm around his neck and placing a finger on his left cheek with her free hand. ''Well from what I've heard from Ms Smith, it seems you owe me a date.'' She replied as she started making circular motions with her finger against his cheek. ''I can't wait.'' She whispered seductively in his ear.

''Alright, break it up you two. We've got to get back to the panic room, and we'll need to bring the two troublemakers with us.'' Zombina interjected while she wrapped an arm around the currently unconscious Blare before lifting her to her paws.

''Right, I'll deal with Kasumi then.'' Raia replied as she let go of Yuuto to go pick up the empusa.

''Can you two go on ahead without me? I have some business to attend to…'' Yuuto said as his cheeks went bright red.

''Beesh, the hell are you…'' Zombina trailed off before noticing the blonde agent's 'business' in question. She looked down at Yuuto crotch to find that there was a large bulge in his jeans. A smirk appeared on the zombie's face as the human looked away in embarrassment. ''Aww, can't you at least wait till I get back to sort it out?'' She asked in a teasing tone, her signature grin now prevalent on her face.

''Can't you give a guy a break?! I've been through enough tonight!'' He shouted in protest, covering his crotch with his hands.

Raia had picked Kasumi up into a piggyback before she noticed what was going on. ''My oh my, Medjay. Seems you have quite the large weapon down there.'' She teased in a sultry tone, causing the human's face to go a brighter shade of red.

''Seriously, some privacy would be nice! I won't be able to get any sleep tonight otherwise!''

''Alright, we're going. Just make sure you don't blind yourself.'' Zombina teased him again as she made her way out the room, carrying Blare with her. ''Seeya in a bit, Beesh!''

''Don't take too long.'' Raia jested as she followed behind her with Kasumi on her back.

As they left his apartment, Yuuto quickly checked outside to make sure there was no one else around. With the cost clear, he made his way to the washroom, and opened the door.

'' _I swear those girls will be the death of me.''_ He complained inwardly to himself before he shut the door and locked it.

With everything that happened today, Yuuto hoped that he'd finally get some time to relax.


	20. The aftermath

A/N: Okay, that took longer than expected, sorry about that. Things at work have been kind of hectic recently, not to mention the plethora of new games that came out (Cuphead and Shadow of War if you were interested). Anyway, here's the new chapter, hope you all enjoy, and thank you for your continued support as always.

* * *

Morning had finally arrived, and all was calm once again. The events of last night had taken their toll on Yuuto, but he pulled through despite the dangers presented to him. Though his current problem wasn't that liminals were trying to kill or rape him, rather it was the three women kneeling on the ground to the side of his bunk bed Dogeza-style, currently begging for his forgiveness. As Blare, Kasumi, and Kestria were prostrating themselves in front of their captain, Yuuto sat at the edge of the bed with a look of concern on his face.

''We're sorry, Stud! Please forgive us!'' Blare shouted with her head bowed to him.

''Yes, we never intended to bring harm to you.'' Kasumi added in a pleading tone, doing the same.

''Yeah, and sorry about giving you a serious case of blue-balls too.'' Kestria said as she looked up at the blonde agent with a slight blush on her cheeks and a mischievous grin on her face.

Yuuto sat there with his face now as red as a tomato, embarrassed by the display in front of him, not to mention Kestria's comment. ''Girls, I know you want to apologise, but there's no need for you to beg like this.''

''But how else are we to make it up to you?'' Kasumi questioned, feeling ashamed at herself as she continued prostrating herself in front of him.

''That's right! If we hadn't lost control, you wouldn't have gotten hurt!'' Blare exclaimed, now looking up at him with tear-stained cheeks. ''I won't feel satisfied until you punish us or something!''

''Yeah, let us make it up to you at least.'' Kestria added, looking up at him with a pleading look on her face.

Yuuto sighed to himself before he got off the bed and crouched down in front of his squad mates, ''You really want to make it up to me?'' He asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

''Of course, we do!'' Blare answered almost immediately, while Kasumi and Kestria nodded in agreement.

''Okay, just don't blame me for what happens next.'' Before the three girls could react, Yuuto karate-chopped them on the head in succession, to which all of them winced in pain. ''Next time I ask you to go to bed early on a full moon, you'll do it. Understood?''

''Wait, that's it?!'' The hellhound exclaimed in confusion while Kasumi and Kestria rubbed their foreheads where Yuuto hit them.

''That's it.'' He answered back, grinning at her. ''I'm not going to hold anything you did last night against you, it wouldn't be fair on any of us.''

Blare sat there as her eyes started watering up again, glad that she fell for possibly the most forgiving guy she'd ever met. She then lunged at him and knocked him back against the bed, wrapping her arms around his chest as she lay on top of him, nuzzling her cheek against him as tears flowed down them once more.

''Seriously Stud, you're way too good to us!'' Blare cried out as she continued to nuzzle against his chest affectionately.

''Yeah, I know.'' Yuuto replied as he started stroking her hair in an attempt to comfort her.

''It seems we are lucky to have you as our captain, Senpai.'' Kasumi said as she stood to her feet, a smile curling onto her lips.

''Well, I'm not complaining about getting off the hook.'' Kestria added, rubbing the back of her head with one of her wings as she stood up.

Suddenly, several straps of bandages wrapped themselves around the raptor harpy and suspended her in the air, her wings tied behind her back and her legs tied to her chest. The group looked behind her to see Raia sitting on her bunk bed with a sinister smile on her face, eying up the harpy she just tied up.

''Who said you were off the hook?'' The mummy said in a malicious tone, causing Kestria the flinch. ''Don't you remember what you did to the car last night?''

''Hey, cut me a break here! I wasn't in my right mind at the time!'' The raptor harpy protested while struggling to break free from the wrappings, a look of worry evident on her face.

Kestria yelp in pain as the tip of one of Raia's wrappings whipped her butt hard, a deviant smirk forming on the mummy's lips. ''Now Kes, you know you should take responsibility for your actions, despite your state of mind.'' Raia said, before whipping the harpy's rump with her wrappings again.

Kestria's cheeks went red as the mummy continued to whip her, trying to endure the pain and the slight tinge of pleasure that came with it. She looked towards her squad captain, who had finally got up from under Blare, giving him a pleading look. ''Hey Hotshot! Help me out here!'' The raptor harpy exclaimed before she yelped in pain again from the whipping.

Yuuto's face went red from seeing what Raia was doing to the silver-haired harpy. ''…Yeah, I'm not getting involved in your little squabble…'' The human replied, worried that the mummy would ensnare him too if given the chance.

''A wise decision, Medjay. It's not a good idea to stop me from serving my punishment.'' Raia said in a sultry tone before whipping Kestria again.

''Geez, cut it out already! That fucking hurts!'' The harpy continued to protest.

''Glad to see I'm not the only one around here who enjoys tying people up.'' The seductive voice of a young woman interrupted.

The members of Squad Bravo looked in the direction of the voice to find Rachnera admiring Raia's handiwork, with Kimihito, Suu, and Centorea standing behind her. ''Though, I think your technique could use a little work.'' The arachne continued as she cupped her hand against her chin, seemingly deep in thought about how she might tie up Kestria herself.

''Funny, I thought your technique last night was a little sloppy myself, but then again, you seemed all too eager to get it on with your host.'' Raia retorted with a teasing grin. ''Speaking of which, I still owe you for webbing me up back there.''

''That a fact? I'd love to see you try, Princess.'' Rachnera responded as she crossed her arms under her breasts, and leant down till her eyes were level with the mummy with a smirk on her face, their faces only inches apart.

''Alright, break it up you two.'' Yuuto said as he got in between the pair. ''I've had enough shit to deal with last night.'' He continued, directing his attention towards the arachne.

''Rachnee,'' Kimihito interjected as he moved to the spider woman's side. ''we came here to apologize for what happened last night, remember?''

''Milord is right. We came here to take responsibility for our actions, not to antagonize those that fought bravely to protect him.'' Centorea added in a stern tone, taking her place on the other side of Kimihito.

Rachnera sighed to herself as her teasing was interrupted, before standing up straight to look back at Yuuto and Raia. ''Sorry about the trouble we've caused you last night.'' The arachne said as she gave them a quick bow. ''I hope I didn't put you in too much of a sticky situation.'' She continued with a teasing grin as she looked straight at them again.

''Yes, our deepest apologies!'' Centorea exclaimed as she gave them a deep bow. ''It was now our intent to bring any harm to thee, and we hope that thou can overlook our heinous deeds!''

Suu stepped in front of Kimihito and bowed to the pair as well. ''We're sorry, it won't happen again.'' She said, stricken with shame.

''Yeah, I can't apologies for what I put you, Zombina, and Raia through last night, and I can't thank you guys enough for what you've done!'' Kimihito shouted in an apologetic tone as he bowed to his friend.

''Look, it's fine, really. We were just doing our jobs, and you can't be blamed for what happens on a full moon.'' Yuuto answered as he held a hand out in front of them in an attempt to make them stop, with a look of embarrassment on his face. ''I'm just glad that everyone is alright.''

''You know, you're kind of cute when you're being modest, Medjay.'' Raia interjected as she gave him a teasing smile, which embarrassed the human even further if his now red cheeks were any indication.

''Anyway, you guys should head back and check up on the other girls. God knows how much they'll be worrying about you.'' The blonde continued while rubbing the back of his head.

''Right, of course. I still want to make it up to you though.'' Kimihito said, now feeling slightly more relieved that the MON agent wasn't angry at him.

''Well, you can do me one favour.''

''What's that?'' The liminal host asked with a quizzical look.

''…Just let Lala know that I don't hold anything she did last night against her, and that I'm sorry for what happened. I'd do it myself, but I feel a bit awkward about talking to her right now, considering what almost happened…'' Yuuto said with downcast eyes, avoiding the host's gaze.

Kimihito nodded at his friend. ''Of course, I will. I'm sure she wants to make amends too.'' He answered with a smile.

''Thank Kimihito, it means a lot to me.'' The blonde replied as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder with a smile curling onto his lips too. ''I should let you go now, take care.'' He continued as he stepped back from him.

''Yeah, you too.'' The host responded before turning his attention to his homestays. ''Let's go, girls, I bet you're as hungry as I am right now.''

''Of course, milord.'' Centorea answered, before giving her farewell to the agents of Squad Bravo. ''Fare well. I hope our next encounter is a more peaceful one.'' She said with a bow before following her host to make their leave.

''Later Kazama. Try not to keep Lala waiting too long.'' Rachnera added as she followed behind them.

''Bye bye.'' Suu said with a wave, before running to Kimihito's side, and wrapping her arms and tendrils around the host's arm.

''See you later.'' Yuuto said as he waved them off.

With the group gone, he sighed to himself, not noticing that Kasumi walked up behind him until she wrapped her arms around his waist, as well as grasp her sickles around his shoulders. Yuuto looked back in mild surprise as the empusa nuzzled her cheek against his back.

''You okay, Kasumi? You're not normally this clingy.'' The blonde asked, a look of concern on his face.

''I am fine. This is my way of saying thank you for being so forgiving of my misdeeds.'' The shinobi replied, looking up at him with a smile curling onto her lips. ''Besides, everyone else on the squad has spent time cuddling with you, and I was starting to get jealous.''

''…Well, thanks for being honest at least…'' Yuuto replied as his cheeks went red, feeling Kasumi pressing her breasts against his back harder as she squeezed him tighter.

''Seriously Bishie-kun, I take my eye off you for one minute, and I find you flirting with one of your squad mates. What am I going to do with you?'' The voice of Ms Smith teased from behind the group, causing Yuuto, Kasumi, and Blare to flinch momentarily.

The members of Bravo Squad looked behind them to find their superior, as well as Zombina, standing there with teasing grins on their faces. ''Yeah Beesh, when do I get my turn?'' The red-headed zombie asked in a sultry tone.

*Sigh* ''Give a guy a break, will you?'' Yuuto responded, starting to get frustrated with the constant accusations of flirting with his co-workers.

''Ah, Ms Smith.'' Kasumi said, separating herself from her captain before bowing at the government agent. ''What brings you here today?''

''Sorry to disappoint you girls, but I'm here to take Bishie-kun out with me.'' Kuroko answered, sliding down her sunglasses to eye up the blonde agent.

''YOU WHAT?! DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE…!'' Blare shouted at the sudden development, before Ms Smith cut her off.

''I assure you that there is nothing romantic going on, it's purely business.'' The raven-haired human replied, waving a hand dismissively at the hellhound and her over-active imagination. ''Kazama has requested to use a specialised weapon for operations, and I wish to verify if he can safely use it.''

''Are you referring to Black Lotus?'' Kasumi questioned, tilting her head to one side.

''If you're referring to his katana, then yes, I am.'' Smith answered, before turning her attention to the currently suspended raptor harpy. ''And do I even want to know why you're in your current situation, Kestria?''

''No, but I'd really appreciate it if **Someone** would let me down from here.'' The harpy replied in an annoyed tone, putting particular emphasis one 'Someone' as she directed her attention to her mummy squad mate.

''But Kes, I haven't even begun to properly dish out your punishment yet.'' Raia replied with a sinister grin as she extended a bandage from her free hand, ready to whip the harpy again.

''Raia, I know you enjoy your BDSM, but there is a time and a place for such things.'' Kuroko cut in, taking off her shades to give the mummy a stern look. ''So, I'd suggest you let poor Kestria down for now and pick this up at a later date, preferably behind closed doors.''

Raia gave her superior a look of disappointment at having her fun ruined. ''If you insist, Ma'am'' She replied, before unravelling the wrappings around Kestria, causing the raptor harpy to fall to the ground with a hard thud, letting out a yelp of pain as she did so.

Zombina stepped towards Kestria and knelt down next to her to check she wasn't too badly hurt. ''You okay there, Kes?'' The zombie asked, trying her best to hold back her giggling.

Kestria sat up straight as she rubbed the back of her head again. ''Yeah, just glad not to be tied up right now.'' She answered with a sense of relief.

''I wouldn't be too relieved if I were you, this is only a temporary freedom for the time being.'' Raia interjected, a sinister grin still evident on her face.

*Sigh* ''If this is about what happened to the car last night, don't worry. All company property is covered by 'Full moon' incidents, so we'll get a replacement soon.'' Ms Smith said as she put her shades back on.

''Yeah, I don't think that'll be enough to stop Raia from her current obsession…'' Yuuto added, having had quite enough of his squad mate's antics for one day.

''Oh, Medjay. Before I forget, I want to check your wounds before you leave.'' Raia said, walking up to the human until she was right in front of him. ''I'll need you to take off your shirt though.''

''You just want an excuse to see his abs, don't you?'' Zombina asked in a teasing tone.

''Well, seeing them is a nice bonus.'' The mummy replied as a smile crossed her face and her cheeks went red.

''Do you girls always have to sexualize everything?'' Yuuto complained as he took off his T-shirt to reveal his bandage-covered chest, the outline of his abdominal muscles barely visible through the wrapping.

''How can we not around you?'' Raia answered with a wink, before placing a hand on his chest, and the other against the side of his neck. ''This'll only take a second.''

After a moment, the wrappings around Yuuto unravelled from the human, and magically reattached themselves to their owner, wrapping around her arms. Now gone, Yuuto's chest and neck revealed that the wounds had scabbed over, thankfully there was no sign of infection, thanks to Zombina's quick treatment of the cuts.

''Okay, seriously. Is there anything you can't do with your wrappings?'' Yuuto questioned the mummy, more concerned about her abilities rather than his own wellbeing.

''Now that would be telling.'' Raia teased as she examined the wounds thoroughly. Happy with what she saw, the mummy stepped away from the human. ''Everything looks okay, just be thankful that they were shallow wounds.''

''At least we won't have to worry about finding a medic now.'' The blonde joked as he put his T-shirt back on.

''Well, if that's everything, let's make a move. I'll need you to bring your katana with you.'' Smith said as she made her way past the group, making her way out of the panic room.

''Wait a second. There's one thing I wanted to check up on before we leave.'' Yuuto said, causing the raven-haired woman to stop in her tracks.

''Oh, and what would that be?''

''Yuuto!''

The group heard the voice of a young girl call from the entrance of the panic room, and looked to find Vee in her child-like form, with Tionishia in tow. The orange slime ran past Ms Smith, towards Yuuto, and wrapped her arms and tendril around his chest in a loving embrace. The slime girl nuzzled her cheek against him while the blonde agent looked down at her with a smile on his face, before wrapping his own arms around her.

''Hey Vee. How was your sleepover with Tio last night?'' Yuuto asked as he lightly stroked her head.

''It was super fun! Tio is really good at telling stories!'' Vee replied, beaming up at him with a huge, joyous smile.

''Vee was an absolute angel last night, we managed to get to bed early too.'' Tio added with an equally adorable smile of her own, now standing next to Ms Smith.

''Good to hear.'' He replied as he stepped back from the orange slime, giving himself some breathing room. ''Sorry to ask you again so soon Tio, but could you keep an eye on Vee for a while longer? There's something I've got to take care of.'' Yuuto asked the ogress.

''I'd be happy to, Sweetie.'' Tio replied, glad to spend more time with her new friend.

''But Yuuto! I haven't seen you all night! Can't I come with you?!'' Vee pleaded as she clung to the blonde human once again.

''It's okay Vee, hopefully this business with Ms Smith won't take long.'' Yuuto replied as he stroked her head comfortingly again. ''I'll be back before you know it.''

''Okay…'' The slime girl replied dejectedly, before she let go and stepped back from him.

Kasumi appeared next to him again, holding Black Lotus in her hands. ''Senpai, I believe you'll be needing this.'' The empusa said as she presented the weapon to him.

''Thanks Kasumi.'' He replied as he took the katana from her, before tying it to his belt.

''If you're ready, then let's go.'' Kuroko said to him, starting to get inpatient.

''Yeah, c'mon Beesh! I've got to see this!'' Zombina exclaimed as she wrapped an arm around the back of his neck, dragging him with her as she made her way to catch up with the government agent.

''Alright, I can walk myself you know!'' Yuuto protested as the zombie dragged him out the room with Ms Smith. ''I guess I'll see you girls later.'' He said to his squad mates before leaving their sight.

''Is Hotshot going to be alright?'' Kestria asked as she got up on her talons.

''I wouldn't worry about him after what I saw him pull off last night.'' Raia replied as a smirk appeared on her lips.

''I believe Senpai is more than qualified to handle whatever challenge Ms Smith may present him with.'' Kasumi added, confident in her assumption.

Blare just stood there as her flame lashes burst out from the corners of her eyes, a look of anger evident on her face.

''Are you okay Blare?'' Vee asked, looking up at the hellhound in concern.

''Seriously! Why can't we go?!'' Blare shouted at the top of her lungs, scaring some of the people still in the panic room with them.

''Guess not.'' Kestria said out loud, rubbing the back of her head as she smirked to herself, finding the sight of the angry hellhound amusing.

* * *

Sometime later, the black sedan, containing Kuroko, Zombina, and Yuuto, arrived at the car park of the Sports Club Kobold that belonged to their acquaintance, Polt. The building itself was quite large, towering at eight stories tall, and taking up an area the size of at least two or three soccer pitches, truly a testament to the wealth of the kobolds in general. Once the vehicle was parked, the trio stepped out of the vehicle and made their way to the front entrance.

''So, I take it that the instructor testing me is already waiting for us?'' Yuuto asked, slightly nervous about meeting a seasoned swordsman.

''Indeed, she's been eager to meet you after she heard about you winning a duel against a centaur. She absolutely had to see you in action as soon as possible.'' Ms Smith answered with a smirk on her face.

''Wow, word does travel fast around here.'' He replied, feeling slightly more anxious now.

''Quit worrying, will you? You'll do just fine.'' Zombina said to him as she patted his back for support.

''If you say so…''

As they entered the building, the saw Polt waiting for them, along with a blonde-haired centaur woman. The centauride had fair skin, blue eyes, and her blonde hair was tied back in a bun with three long locks oh hair that dangled down the sides of her face. She was wearing a white blouse with red cuffs, and wore a black vest-like garment on top which wrapped tightly around her torso. On her hind quarters, she was wearing a large black skirt similar to the one Centorea wears, along with a smaller red skirt on top which draped down from under the vest-like garment, going down only the sides of her front legs. Yuuto noticed that she also had a sheathed short sword buckled to her side by a tan belt. The design of the sword's hilt and cross guard were reminiscent of the style of sword used back in medieval England. As the human took in these details, Polt ran up to them in her usually excited manner.

''Hey everyone! Glad you could make it!'' Polt exclaimed excitedly as she stopped in front of them, the centaur with her following up behind her at a leisurely pace. ''Lady Shianus, I'd like you to meet Yuuto Kazama. He will be your opponent today.'' The kobold continued as she gestured towards the blonde human. ''Yuuto, this is…''

''I am perfectly capable of introducing myself, Proprietor.'' The centaur spoke up as she made her presence known. ''Well met, Kazama of Tokyo! I am Maredrianna Shianus of the proud centaur race! Pray tell, art thou the swordsman responsible for besting my daughter in single combat?!'' She exclaimed with excitement evident on her face as she drew closer to the human, her particularly large breasts mere inches away from the young man's face.

''If you mean I stopped her from causing undo harm to her host last night, then yes, that'll be me.'' Yuuto replied in a modest tone, looking up at her. ''Honestly, I was only doing my job, Lady Shianus.'' He continued, rubbing the back of his head nervously, due to the aura of pride radiating from Maredrianna, or more likely the proximity of her breasts from his face.

''Don't be so modest, Beesh!'' Zombina shouted as she smacked him hard in the back, almost causing the human to fall face first into Maredrianna's chest, if not for his quick reflexes. ''You were killing it last night!''

''Verily, it is a great honour to meet a fine swordsman such as thyself!'' Maredrianna replied as she stepped back from him, before drawing her sword from her sheath, pointing the blade at the blonde agent. ''Now, let us see if thou can put merit to these claims on the field of battle!''

Yuuto looked up at the blade as his face went red, noticing that the blade of the weapon looked rather sharp, that along with the current behaviour of the centauride in front of him, didn't fill Yuuto with much confidence about facing off against what was probably a master swordsman. One thought crossed his mind as he gazed at the sword, and its owner.

'' _Okay, I'm fucked…''_


	21. Trials and Confessions

Up on the fifth floor of Sports Club Kobold, there was a dojo area for participating members to practice martial arts and kendo. The room itself was separated into two areas, one which was a large wooden floor for kendo practice, and the other area covered in padded mats for martial arts practice. In the kendo practice area, Yuuto was standing near the centre of the room, with his opponent, Maredrianna Shianus, standing opposite him, both staring each other down. They both currently had their weapons sheathed as they mentally prepared themselves for the upcoming duel. The centauride had a smug look on her face, confident that she would best the human in combat. Yuuto on the other hand, wasn't feeling quite as optimistic.

'' _Okay Yuuto, this isn't going to be easy, but you've got this. You just have to beat someone whose been training with a sword since probably before you were born, so no pressure.''_ The blonde agent thought to himself in an attempt to psych himself up, though the nervous look on his face made it obvious that he had his doubts about beating this particular centaur in combat.

''What is the matter, Kazama? Doth thou have second thoughts about engaging a veteran warrior of the proud centaur race?'' Maredrianna asked in a smug tone, feeling her victory is already assured.

Yuuto looked up at the centauride as a smirk crossed his face too as he gripped the hilt of Black Lotus. ''Are you kidding? Like hell I'd pass up a chance like this.'' He replied with bravado, determined not to be intimidated by his opponent.

''Well, tis good to see that thou thrive on facing a challenge.'' Maredrianna replied, gripping her hand around the hilt of her sword, readying herself for the upcoming duel.

On the side lines, Polt, Ms Smith, and Zombina, looked on eagerly as the two swordsmen readied themselves for combat.

''Polt, who do you think is going to win this duel?'' Ms Smith asked out of curiosity.

''It's hard to say, considering I haven't seen Yuuto fight before. All I can say is that Lady Shianus is not to be trifled with, even amongst her own race. Let's just hope Yuuto knows what he's doing.'' The kobold explained holding a hand to her chin as she was deep in thought.

''Give her hell, Beesh!'' Zombina shouted words of encouragement, much to the annoyance of her superior.

Polt then stepped forwards and got the attention of the two combatants. ''Alright everyone, here are the rules for this duel. The first person to disarm their opponent wins, but by no means are you aloud to injure your opponent, otherwise you will be disqualified. Do I make myself clear?''

''Crystal.'' Yuuto answered, his attention still focused on his centaur adversary.

''These conditions will be of no hindrance to me.'' Maredrianna answered confidently, all but ready to claim victory.

''Excellent! Now, are both of you ready?''

Yuuto unsheathed his katana and twirled it in his hand before holding it low to his side. ''I'm ready.'' He answered, his expression full of determination.

Maredrianna unsheathed her blade and held it in front of her with her right hand grasped around the hilt, and the palm of her left hand pressed against the hilt and cross guard. ''Indeed, let us not delay any further.'' She answered, her smug expression still very much evident.

Polt nodded in return, and held up her hand, before swinging it down to signal the start of the duel. ''And begin!''

The instant Polt swung her hand down, Maredrianna charged forwards at the human, while Yuuto dropped into a low stance, flipping the weapon in his hand and held it like a dagger, and held it behind him, ready to intercept the upcoming attack. The centauride raised her sword high for a downward swing, only for the MON agent to dodge to the right as she swung at him, responding by swinging his katana from the side in a large arc, aiming for the opponent's short sword. Maredrianna was wise to his tactic, and instinctively hopped to the side to avoid the swing entirely, simultaneously turning herself to face her opponent once more, her weapon held in front of her.

'' _Okay, she's far nimbler than I anticipated. This might be a problem.''_ Yuuto worried to himself as he took up a defensive stance, holding Black Lotus in front of him.

'' _Impressive, he's far more cunning than I give him credit for. He should prove a worthy adversary.''_ Maredrianna thought as she readied for her next attack, prepared for any flanking attack now.

''How the fuck did she pull that off?!'' Zombina exclaimed out loud, surprised that the centaur was able to dodge Yuuto's attack.

''I can't say that I'm surprised.'' Kuroko replied in a serious tone. ''She's been trained to do this from a very young age, and people tend to underestimate a centaur's manoeuvrability. I am surprised however that Bishie-kun went for such a heavily telegraphed attack.''

''I'm sure that it was intentional.'' Polt added. ''He's testing her defences to find a possible opening, though I doubt that Lady Shianus will give him the opportunity to do so.''

Maredrianna charged at Yuuto again, testing his defences once more, but the human held his ground this time, choosing to deflect her attacks until she made a mistake. Either that, or be forced into a fight of endurance where he was at a disadvantage. The centauride swung her blade from the side this time, which Yuuto parried effortlessly. Their blades clashed and slid past one another as sparks flew from their contact. Maredrianna repositioned her blade for another strike from the opposite side, which the human also deflected. The centauride continued her flurry of attacks from side to side as Yuuto struggled to get past her attacks, slowly being pushed back with each blow.

'' _Damn, she just won't let up. There has to be a way through.''_ He thought as he continued to deflect her attacks.

''What's the matter, Kazama?! Surely this meagre performance isn't all thou hast to offer!'' Maredrianna shouted as she continued to rain down blow after blow against her human adversary.

Polt looked on in awe of the two swordsmen battling one another, amazed by their combat prowess thus far. ''Wow, this is so amazing!'' The kobold shouted excitedly as her tail wagged from side to side frantically. ''Two warriors pushing themselves to their absolute limit in the heat of battle, determined to defeat the other, it's just spectacular to watch!''

''It's certainly quite the sight, but I am concerned that Maredrianna insisted on using actual swords over practice swords though. If there is an injury, it's my ass on the line, as well as a possible deportation or criminal conviction depending on the outcome.'' Ms Smith worried as she kept her eyes on the spectacle, hoping the worst possible outcome wouldn't happen.

''I wouldn't worry so much. We're talking about two experienced swordsmen here, I'm sure they'll be careful.'' The gym owner answered in a positive tone in an attempt to calm the human agent's nerves.

''C'mon Beesh! Show her whose boss!'' Zombina yelled at the top of her lungs to help encourage her friend.

'' _Do they have any idea how distracting they're being right now?!''_ Yuuto complained internally as he was continually being pushed back by the centaur sword master. _''C'mon, just show me an opening already!''_

'' _His defences are certainly strong, but he's beginning to tire under my continuous assault. Victory will be at hand at this rate.''_ Maredrianna thought as she readied herself for the finishing strike.

Now convinced that she'd be the victor, the centauride pulled her blade back and prepared to thrust her sword forwards, aiming for the base of his katana. With enough force, she would force the weapon from his hands with ease, which in turn would claim her the match. Thankfully for Yuuto though, he found his opportunity to counter-attack. With his quick reflexes, he dodged her thrust with ease and stepped in between her guard. He held Black Lotus in his left hand, as he reached out with his right hand to grab the centaur's wrist of the arm holding her short sword. His plan was to use his MON training to twist her wrist in an attempt to force her to let go of her weapon, and thus win him the match. However, as he turned himself around to try to grab her wrist, he unexpectedly stepped too far back while Maredrianna was still moving forwards, causing the human to accidentally press his back into her large melons. Both Yuuto and Maredrianna blushed furiously upon realising what just happened, to which the centaur understandably got furious about the sudden sexual harassment, whether it was an accident or not.

''What doth thou think thou art doing, deviant?!'' Maredrianna shouted in disgust, swinging her arm that he was holding onto to the side, pulling the human from her chest as he desperately held on for dear life.

His grip wasn't strong enough, as he was thrown across the room as she swung her arm wildly. Thankfully, he landed on his feet with his katana still in his grasp. If nothing else, he was able to gain some distance from the now furious centauride. Unfortunately, said furious centaur was already charging towards him with blade in hand, now ready to dish out punishment on him.

''To think I thought thee a gentleman! Alas I am forced to teach thee proper respect!'' Maredrianna berated him as she closed the distance on him.

''Hey, cool your jets for one second! It was an accide…'' Yuuto cut himself off as he realised that she wasn't thinking straight, too concerned about teaching him a lesson about how to treat a lady. He remembered that Centorea was just as furious last night trying to get at Kimihito, and that he bested her in combat as a result. Suddenly he pivoted to his side, holding his katana behind him as he raised his free hand, gesturing Maredrianna mockingly in an attempt to further rile her up, a smirk now prevalent on his face. ''Well, if you want to put me in my place, then come get it!''

''The nerve! Thou give me no choice but to show thee the full wrath of a centaur maiden's pride!'' Maredrianna shouted in reply as she raised her blade to strike him down.

''Hey, cool it lady! We need Beesh in one piece after this!'' Zombina yelled in an attempt to get her attention, but her efforts were in vain as the centauride took no notice.

''For fuck sake, Kazama! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!'' Kuroko shouted in anger at him for making her life more difficult.

''No, he's riling her up intentionally so he can force her to make a mistake. Though, if he's not careful, he'll be leaving the gym in a stretcher.'' Polt explained, now with a look of worry on her face. ''I don't know how I'll explain this to Blare if anything bad happens to him.''

Despite the angry centaur charging towards him with her sword raised, Yuuto kept his calm and readied himself to take advantage of the centaur's temper. Maredrianna swung her sword down at him with all her fury, which he side-stepped with ease. She kept swinging at him wildly, but at every turn, Yuuto's exceptional agility allowed him to dodge and duck under all her attacks, which only riled her up further.

''Cease avoiding my strikes and fight me head on like a true warrior!'' Maredrianna shouted, starting to get visibly frustrated that he hadn't landed a single attack.

In her frustration, she pulled her blade back and thrust it forwards once more, but Yuuto dodged to the outside of the strike this time, and with his free hand, grabbed her wrist again. He yanked her arm forward, causing Maredrianna to stubble forwards and buckle under her own weight. With the centaur now on the ground, he held her arm up and twisted her wrist sharply, forcing her to let go of her blade. Maredrianna looked on in dismay as her weapon dropped to the ground with a clatter. Like her daughter before her, she had lost her temper and allowed herself to be bested by a human in single combat.

''Looks like we have our winner!'' Polt shouted excitedly with her hands raised un the air.

''Fucking told you he had it in the bag!'' Zombina added with gusto with her signature grin.

Kuroko slumped her shoulders and hung her head as she let out a sigh of relief. ''I swear he's going to be the death of me one of these days.'' She complained to herself as she wiped her brow.

Yuuto let go of Maredrianna's wrist and sheathed his katana before making his way in front of her. The centaur moved her sword arm in front of her, ashamed that she had been beaten by such a simple technique. She was filled with shame over losing her nerve so easily, but she was also filled with amazement at how a human was able to get the better of a centaur warrior. She then looked up to see the blonde human crouch down if front of her to pick up her weapon, before presenting it to her with the weapon resting in the palms of his hands, with a sincere smile on his lips.

''It was a good fight, Lady Shianus. It was an honour to duel with such a skilled swordsman.'' He said with a great deal of respect for the woman in front of him. ''Also, I should apologise for what happened earlier, it wasn't my intension to…''

''Nay, I should be the one to apologize. I over-reacted over a simple misunderstanding.'' Maredrianna interrupted, smiling back at him as she grabbed the hilt of her sword and took it from his hands before standing back up. ''The honour should be mine, Kazama. Never before have I seen a human capable of such skill with a blade, thou must be commended, that much is certain.'' She replied as she bowed to him.

Yuuto didn't feel that he deserved the praise he was receiving, but he also didn't wish to disrespect Maredrianna by trying to be overly modest like he usually would. Instead, he bowed to her as well. ''Thank you.'' It was his only reply as he thought about what he went through to become as good a swordsman as he was, but they weren't pleasant memories, considering that his father was heavily involved in his training.

As the pair raised their heads, Zombina ran over to Yuuto and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head against her chest. ''Nice going, Beesh! I totally knew you'd kick her ass!'' She shouted extatically as she rustled his hair, tightening her grip around him until he had no wriggle room whatsoever.

''Yeah, great, but can I have my head back now?!'' Yuuto exclaimed in an annoyed tone, starting to get embarrassed about the compromising position he found himself in, though the zombie took no notice of his request.

Polt and Ms Smith followed up behind her, both impressed with the spectacle they just witnessed. ''That was amazing, Yuuto!'' The kobold exclaimed excitedly as she pumped her fists. ''Forcing your opponents to lose focus, before taking advantage of it to win the match was a brilliant strategy.''

''I didn't exactly plan that, it just sort of happened…'' The blonde agent replied, freeing himself Zombina's grasp, much to the zombie's disappointment.

''Still, it worked out for you in the end.''

''So, what's the final verdict, Lady Shianus?'' The government agent asked the centaur swordsman, waiting in anticipation for her answer.

''If thou had any sense, Kazama would already be punishing the wicked with his blade.'' Maredrianna answered with a sense of pride. ''As far as I'm concerned, he should be used to the best of his abilities, not chained and muzzled for fear of causing harm.''

''Yeah, I'd rather not be compared to a rabid guard dog, thanks.'' Yuuto interjected with a deadpan face while Zombina was giggling to herself.

''Well, that's all I needed to hear.'' Ms Smith answered with a look of satisfaction before turning her attention back to Yuuto. ''You heard the expert, guess you're free to swing away on operations now, once the paperwork is sorted, of course.''

''That's one problem out the way at least.''

Just as he said that, his phone went off, indicating that he got an e-mail. He pulled out his phone and unlocked it to discover that it was Lala that sent him a message. Before he could read it though, Zombina stood right next to him to take a peek of the screen of his phone.

''Ooo, what's this Beesh? Your secret admirer?'' She asked in a teasing tone.

''Seriously Zee, personal space.'' He answered, pushing her back by the face, holding her back as she flailed her arms frantically.

''Hey, lemme see!''

While holding back the excitable zombie, he opened up the e-mail to see what Lala wanted.

 **Greetings Yuuto. I hope ye are faring well. I regret me actions that took place during the moon's accursed phase, and I wish tae make amends with ye. Meet with me at yer home when ye are able, the thought of leaving affairs as they are scares me, and I wish fer our relations tae return to what they once were, perhaps something greater if the signs hold true. I await yer safe return 3**

Yuuto's face went red as he read the message to himself, Zombina still struggling to see the e-mail for herself. _''Did she really add a heart emoji at the end?''_ He thought to himself, not sure whether he should be embarrassed, or elated by the dullahan's gesture. _''I hope Miia and the other girls haven't taught her anything weird.''_

''If you two are done messing around, we should head back.'' Kuroko spoke up, starting to get irritated with the pair's antics. ''We've got a busy couple of days ahead of us at the office.''

Zombina pouted in response, while Yuuto pocketed his phone once more. ''Sure thing, Ma'am'' He responded, before turning his attention to the centaur. ''It was a pleasure, Lady Shianus.'' He said as he bowed to her again. ''I hope we can meet again soon.''

''Mayhap, young Kazama. I sense our paths will cross once more.'' Maredrianna replied as she did the same. ''May fortune smile upon you.''

''Same to you.'' He said as he raised his head, a sincere smile prevalent on his face.

With that, Yuuto, Zombina, and Ms Smith made their way to leave the dojo area of the gym, ready to face the challenges awaiting them.

''This duel has really got me pumped up!'' Polt yelled ecstatically. ''We should definitely host proper duelling events here at some point! I bet it'll be a hit with the liminal members!''

''Verily, I would very much like to see that.'' Maredrianna mused, recalling the duel that just happened. It was a rare occurrence, but on this occasion, she was pleased to be bested by a talented young warrior, and a human at that too.

* * *

Some time had passed and it was late afternoon before Yuuto got back to the apartment complex, and made his way to his apartment. As the door to his place was in sight, he saw a workman dusting himself off, with a brand-new door in place of the one that was ripped apart last night. The workman was a human with short jet-black hair, wearing blue overalls with the initials 'I.C.E.P' written in bold black letters on the back, and a matching blue cap on his head. The workman looked towards the blonde as he heard him coming his way, a grin on his face, and a clipboard and pen in hand.

''Oi, Kazama. Been havin' some wild parties since ya moved in?'' The man asked jokingly in a kansai dialect, giving Yuuto a hard time.

''Hey Hase, had a bit of a hectic night with the full moon and all.'' He replied with a hint of embarrassment. ''Let me guess, dotted line?''

''Like always.'' Hase replied as she handed Yuuto the clipboard and pen. ''Oh, by the way. Your girlfriend is waitin' for ya. Nice catch.'' He continued with a teasing smile as Yuuto finished signing the form on the clipboard.

''Blue skin, white hair, and a gothic outfit?'' The blonde questioned, just to make sure.

''That's the one. Don't tell me ya got more than one girl on the go. Can't say I'm surprised with the attention ya been gettin' lately.''

''Seriously not funny, Hase…'' Yuuto answered in an annoyed tone as he handed back the clipboard and pen. ''Anyway, thanks for the help.''

''No problem, take it easy.'' Hase said as he left Yuuto to his own devices.

With the workman gone, Yuuto went to open the front door. As he did so, he was tackled to the ground by Lala's body, as if she'd been waiting for him the whole time. The dullahan's body wrapped her arms tight around the human's chest as he looked at her, the corners of his lips curling into a sincere smile.

''Hey, don't tell the you've been waiting for me this whole time.''

Lala's body let go of him and sat up straight in between his legs, as she twiddled her fingers in embarrassment.

''Thought so.'' Yuuto continued as he sat himself up. ''C'mon, let's get inside. Can't really have much of a discussion without your head being involved.''

As the pair got up, Lala's body latched herself around his left arm, nestling it in her cleavage. The pair entered the room to find her head placed on the kitchen table, her face facing away from the entrance to his apartment.

''Hey Lala, I got your message. You feeling okay?'' Yuuto asked with a look of concern with her body still clinging to his arm.

Tears trickled down Lala's face as she recalled the events of last night, still ashamed of herself. ''Nay, I am ashamed o' meself fer what I put ye through last night, but I canna leave things as they are now.'' She replied, trying her best to stop herself from sobbing uncontrollably. ''…I canna bare tae lose ye…''

As Lala's emotions got the better of her, Yuuto freed himself from her body's grasp, and made his way to where her head was. He placed his hands on either side of her face, and picked her up before wrapping his arms around her, holding her in a comforting embrace. The dullahan's head sobbed into his chest and her body moved up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, slowly tightening her grip as she refused to let him go.

''It's okay, Lala. I'm not going anywhere.'' The human said as he started stroking her hair with his right hand, hopeful that it would help calm her down.

They stayed like this for some time before Lala calmed down enough to stop her crying. She looked up at him from his chest with tear-stained eyes as a smile crept onto her face, happy to be held in his arms so endearingly. With that, her body loosened her grip around him, allowing Yuuto to turn around and place her head back on her shoulders. Before he could remove his hands from her face, Lala placed her hands on top of his as the pair stared lovingly into each other's eyes.

''Yuuto, I am truly grateful tae have ye in me life. I would nay know what I'd do without ye.'' She said as she gently caressed his hands with her own.

''Honestly, after all that's happened recently, I couldn't imagine not having you around either.'' Yuuto replied, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

After a moment, Lala pulled Yuuto's hands from her face, and guided him towards the couch, their hands still held together. The pair sat down right next to each other as Lala rested her head against his shoulder, while Yuuto pulled his right hand free and placed it gently on the back of her head for support, stroking her hair as he did so.

''Yuuto, I must confess…'' Lala said looking up and him with loving eyes and a sincere smile on her face as she placed a hand on the human's chest. ''Ever since ye came back into me life, not a day has passed that ye haven't been on me mind, and when I think of ye, me heart aches fer yer presence. But when I'm with ye, me very being is filled with joy beyond imagining, tae the point it hurts tae let ye go.''

Yuuto wrapped his other hand around the dullahan's waist and pulled her in closer into their embrace, staring back into her beautiful golden eyes. ''Just as well that I don't plan on letting you go any time soon.'' He replied with a sincere smile before kissing her forehead lovingly, her cowlick tickling his cheek as he did so.

Lala tucked her legs together and laid them across Yuuto's lap as she sat herself up straight, staring longingly into his eyes as their faces got closer. ''Then it seems the Fates have truly been kind tae me.'' The dullahan responded as she placed her hands on his shoulders and pressed herself against his chest, quickly followed by her lips lightly pressing against his.

Yuuto was prepared this time, happily reciprocating the kiss as he fully wrapped his arm around her waist, the pair now exploring each other's mouths as they deepened their kiss. Lala quietly moaned into him as she raised a hand onto his cheek, caressing it as they continued to kiss passionately. He ran his fingers through her long silky hair with his right hand, while he moved his left hand from her waist, now gently gliding it up and down her stocking covered thigh. They continued like this for some time before they both felt the need to breathe, reluctantly separating from each other, but not before Lala lightly nipped at his bottom lip affectionately. As the pair caught their breath, their eyes met once more, both filled with love and affection for one another.

''Yuuto…I love ye…Truly I do…'' Lala said between ragged breaths, now resting her head in the crook of his neck.

Yuuto lightly stroked her hair again as she nestled into his loving embrace, the only thing that mattered to him in the world right now was the woman resting in his arms. ''I love you too, Lala.'' He replied while smiling to himself, feeling like he was the luckiest guy in the world at this moment in time, and he wanted that feeling to last as long as he was with her, but there was a nagging doubt in the back of his mind. ''…You do know what we're doing is illegal, right?''

Lala looked up at him with a melancholy look on her face. ''Aye, the Organization will be a constant threat to our bonds of love as of now, but I will nay allow it tae pull us apart.'' She replied, wrapping her arms around his chest tightly for fear he would disappear if she didn't.

''Well, the situation might not be as bleak as you make it out to be.'' Yuuto replied as he wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

The dullahan's eyes widened in surprise at his statement. ''What do ye mean? Would they nay imprison ye and banish me back tae me homeland if they found out about us?'' Lala replied with an understandably worried look.

''If they found us out on their own, then yeah, we'd be in deep shit.'' Yuuto replied before smiling at her confidently. ''But, if I'm upfront with Ms Smith about us, I have a feeling she'll have our backs covered. She wants relations to improve between humans and liminals more than anyone I know at the Exchange Program, plus knowing her, I doubt she'll want the hassle of losing one of her best agents and deporting one of the homestays of the Program's most successful host. Either way, she'd be mad to try and break us apart. But for now, we should be discreet about our relationship, like try and avoid being intimate in public, if that's okay with you.''

Lala smiled back at him upon hearing his words, giving him a quick peck on the lips, satisfied with his answer. ''I will trust yer judgement. It has guided ye well through life thus far, though I fear that I may nay be able tae hold back me feelings for ye.''

''As long as there's no one else around, there's no need to hold back at all.'' He replied before resting his forehead lightly against hers, his gaze fixated on hers.

To make his point, he took the initiative and pressed his lips against hers, careful not to knock her head from her shoulders. Their lips lightly glossed over each other, savouring the tender moment until Yuuto pulled back slightly, to which Lala responded by pushing herself against him to deepen the kiss, wanting to wrap her tongue around his and wrestle it into submission. The blonde agent quite enjoyed her assertive side and allowed her to take the lead as she push him back against the couch, her affections unrelenting. Eventually their lips parted again to catch their breath, now satisfied for the time being.

Lala then pressed her cheek against his and whispered into his ear. ''If ye insist, then I'll be honest with me feelings, just fer ye.'' She said before giving him a peck on the cheek. She then leaned back and reluctantly separated herself from her new lover as she stood to her feet, her gaze still focused on him and him alone. ''I should head back now, Kurusu will be wondering where I have journeyed tae, but if ye ever need me, ye need only call on me.''

Yuuto got up from his seat and pulled her gently into another hug and kissed her forehead once again. ''Will do, I'll keep in touch with you, whatever it takes.''

''Promise?'' The dullahan asked, staring into his eyes lovingly.

''Promise.''

With that, they kissed one last time before Lala separated herself from Yuuto and made her leave. ''Then I will see ye soon. Take care, my Love.''

''You too, Babe.'' Yuuto replied, waving a hand at her.

Just as she was making her way to the front door, she suddenly took a left and entered the washroom, closing the door behind her. Yuuto raised an eyebrow in confusion as she did so, not sure what she was thinking.

''Lala, that isn't the front door.'' He called out, but received no response. Worried, he made his way to the door and lightly knocked the door. ''Babe, you okay?'' He asked, but he still heard nothing. He then turned the knob and the door and found it was unlocked. He pushed the door open, but to his surprised, the room had no occupant. It was as if the dullahan disappeared into thin air.

'' _Seriously, how the fuck does she do that?''_ He questioned himself before he closed the door behind him and leant against it. His mind replayed the last few minutes he spent with Lala, wondering whether he made the right decision by accepting the reaper's feelings for him, but as he remembered the love they felt for each other, there was no doubt in his mind that he make the right call. _''Guess I have a girlfriend now.''_ He thought to himself as a smile crept onto his lips. _''Let's just hope Smith doesn't end up having a bitch fit when I break the good news to her tomorrow.''_ Despite the uncertain future, Yuuto really didn't care about anything else other than making Lala happy. It seems that he finally found true love.

* * *

A/N: Well, there you have it. The Yuuto x Lala ship has finally set sail, I just hope I've done it justice. Also the story just pasted 100 followers recently, I'm honestly surprised that so many of you have taken such interest in my first story, and it's drives me to keep adding to it. I do have big plans for it in the future, and I hope all of you stick around to see it happen. As always, follow/favourite/review if you haven't already, and thank you so much for reading. Until next time.


	22. The next step

It was the day after, and Yuuto had gone to Ms Smith's office to explain his current situation with his new girlfriend, Lala. The pair clearly had strong feelings for one another, but if they weren't careful, the government would punish them severely. Their only hope was to convince his superior to allow them to date each other officially, though the reaction he got was less than promising.

''You did what?!''

Ms Smith sat behind the desk in her office, gobsmacked by what Yuuto said to her. The blonde agent in question was standing in front of her desk with his arms crossed, looking back at the government agent with a serious expression, his determination unwavering.

''I said that Lala and I have decided to start dating, though I wanted to clear it with you first considering current circumstances.'' He replied as a blush appeared on his cheeks, still clearly not used to the fact that he has a girlfriend now, a liminal girlfriend at that.

Kuroko sighed to herself, not quite believing what she just heard, considering how resistant he was to the idea of dating any of his co-workers in the past. ''Kazama, I appreciate the fact that you're being extremely honest with me about your romantic circumstances, despite it being illegal under current laws, but out of all the girls you could've picked, did it have to be one of Darling-kun's homestays?'' She said in a despairing, but also annoyed tone, worrying about the ramifications of his decision.

''I don't see the problem, he still has six girls to choose from. Besides, Lala has zero romantic interest in him, all she was curious about was his inhuman knack for surviving deadly situations.''

''Well, she made a rather big deal of it initially, and I personally am rather interested in his inhuman endurance myself. It's only after your first visit to the Kurusu residence that she lost interest, which sounds pretty suspicious if you ask me.'' Kuroko replied as she removed her sunglasses, now glaring at him as her mood worsened.

''Why don't you ask her yourself then?'' Yuuto responded, glaring right back at her.

''I can't just magically make her appear out of thin air just to satisfy my curiosity.'' Ms Smith was starting to get irate with Yuuto at this point.

''Tis unwise tae underestimate the talents o' a Spectre o' Death, Agent Smith.''

''AAAAHHHH!''

Seemingly out of nowhere, Tokyo's resident Chuunihan appeared behind Kuroko, wearing her usual attire, with the exception of her black trench coat and her corset, revealing her sleeveless white dress, which surprisingly suited her very well, considering her usually dark and foreboding demeanour. Her sudden arrival startled the raven-haired agent quite a bit if her yelp of surprise was any indication.

''For fuck sake, Lala, don't sneak up on people like that…'' Ms Smith said, trying her best to calm herself down from the sudden scare.

''It's in her nature to be sneaky, Ma'am.'' Yuuto said with a cheeky grin on his face, before turning his attention to his blue-skinned girlfriend as he dropped his arms to his sides and his grin turned into a loving smile. ''You okay, Babe?''

Lala smiled back at him as her cheeks went red. ''I am well,'' She answered as she sauntered her way over to him. ''but it pleases me tae hear ye praise me gifts, me Love.'' She stood herself right in front of him before she placed her hands on his shoulders and pressed her lips against his. The kiss was brief, but enjoyable for both Yuuto and Lala, and their lips parted as quickly as they connected. ''Tell me, does the Organization intend tae put an end tae our relations?'' She asked as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck, now looking up at him with a look of concern.

''We were getting to that before you nearly gave me a heart attack.'' Kuroko piped up as she put her sunglasses back on, slightly annoyed that she was being ignored.

''Me apologies, Agent Smith.'' Lala replied after letting go of Yuuto to turn around and slightly nodded her head at the government agent in apology with her arms held low in front of her. ''This matter is o' grave concern tae me, and I am willing tae do anything within me power as a knight o' Death tae protect me bond with Yuuto.'' The dullahan continued, her face full of both concern and determination.

Yuuto raised his hand to gently pat Lala's head in an attempt to comfort her, which the dullahan appreciated very much. ''I'm sure she doesn't intend to break us up, Lala.'' He said to reassure her, before returning his attention to Ms Smith. ''Isn't that right, Boss?'' He continued, feeling hopeful that she was in agreement of their situation, but also nervous that she would disapprove of their relationship.

Kuroko stared at the pair, noting the worry on their faces as they looked back at her. It was obvious that they were genuinely in love with each other, but with the current state of the Exchange Bill, along with the effects their relationship might have on the Kurusu experiment, this presented the coordinator with a big problem, especially with one of her subordinates being involved. Finally coming to a conclusion, she sighed to herself before taking her sunglasses off again, her eyes meeting with those of the blonde agent standing in front of her.

''I'm sure the two of you are aware that what you're asking for is currently illegal under the Interspecies Exchange Bill, but the whole purpose of the Exchange Program is to build relations between humans and liminals.'' Ms Smith explained as she propped her hands under her chin, which the pair nodded in agreement. ''The reason the Exchange Bill is the way it is right now it to avoid any possible diplomatic incidents, as well as any problems that may arise during a full moon, which you two are already well aware of. However,'' She paused briefly as she gave Yuuto and Lala a sincere smile, giving the couple a glimmer of hope. ''I can't in good conscience break up a relationship that defines everything we're looking for in an interspecies couple.''

''Wait, for real?'' Yuuto responded in surprise, as Lala raised her hands to cover her mouth, the shock evident on her face.

''For real.'' She replied in a positive tone, before getting out of her chair to stand to her feet. ''However, I do have a couple of conditions for you two before I'm satisfied with allowing the pair of you to start dating.'' She added as her tone became more serious.

''Let me guess, no public displays of affection, and no sex?'' The blonde agent blurted out, which caused the young reaper to avert her gaze as she blushed furiously upon the mentioning of sexual intercourse.

Kuroko's eyes widened in surprised as her favourite agent hit the nail right on the head. ''Pretty much.'' She answered before giving him a look of suspicion and a teasing grin. ''It sounds like you've been giving out that advise yourself. Care to explain, Bishie-kun?''

''Well, about that…'' Yuuto replied nervously as he averted his gaze and started rubbing the back of his head.

''Are there any interspecies couples I should be made aware of?'' She asked, as the blonde agent started to feel her eyes bore into his very soul.

''A few...'' He answered as her menacing gaze got the better of him.

''Fair enough, we can discuss that another time.'' She made her way from behind her desk until she was right in front of Yuuto and Lala. ''For now, try and keep this between yourselves, the less people that know, the better.''

Before they could nod in agreement, they heard a loud bang at the door of her office. Yuuto sighed to himself as he made his way to the door. ''That might be a problem, Ma'am.''

''Why's that?'' Ms Smith questioned as she raised an eyebrow in confusion.

The blonde agent placed his hand on the knob of the door, almost certain that he knew who was on the other side. ''This.'' He simply replied as he twisted the knob and swung the door open.

As he did so, several people yelped in surprise as they fell through the doorway and landed hard on the floor of Ms Smith's office. Lying sprawled on top of each other were Zombina and Blare at the bottom of the pile with Vee in her blob form between them, Raia in the middle, and finally Kasumi and Kestria lying on top, all of them wearing their office suits with a dazed look on their faces.

*Sigh* ''What are you girls doing?'' Yuuto asked in an annoyed tone as he furrowed his eyebrows at the group.

Kasumi was the first to answer as she looked up at him innocently. ''Senpai, what a coincident. We were just looking for you.'' The empusa answered, though her captain wasn't buying it.

''Likely story.'' He replied as he started to get irate with them. ''Now, what are you really playing at?''

Blare then jumped up to her paws from the pile, sending the other girls flying as her flame lashes burnt fiercely from her eyes, somewhat annoyed with him herself. ''What we're playing at?! I could say the same to you, Stud!'' She shouted as she grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him close until they were face to face. ''I knew that you and Lala have a thing for each other, but how could you start dating her without even telling me?!'' At this point, the hellhound was yelling more out of frustration than out of anger.

''Without telling us you mean.'' Kasumi interjected as she got up on her feet, rubbing the side of her head with one of her sickles while the other girls stood up.

''Not the point, Bug Eyes!'' Blare shouted in irritation at the shinobi before returning her attention to the blonde human in front of her. ''We're meant to trust each other, but you couldn't tell us that you have feelings for someone else? We're supposed to be honest with each other!'' She continued as she was desperately trying to hold back her tears, feeling betrayed that her precious Stud didn't tell her how he really felt.

''Blare, don't you think you're over-reacting a bit?'' Raia reasoned as she placed a hand on the hellhound's shoulder. ''Medjay took a big risk telling Smith about this. I think it's understandable that he didn't want to admit to anyone that he's basically committing a crime, but here he is being upfront with our superior. I'm sure he would've told us anyway as soon as he got the all clear from her, that's the kind of guy he is.'' The mummy continued as a smile crept onto her face.

''She's right.'' Kestria added as she held her wings behind the back of her head. ''Though it kind of sucks that he didn't pick me, I don't blame him for picking Grim out of all of us, and it's not fair to judge him for keeping quiet about this. Hell, I'd have done the same thing in his position.'' The raptor harpy continued with a cheeky grin and a wink directed at her squad captain.

''But aren't you made too?!'' She exclaimed in surprise to their reactions, even though her fellow squad mates were in exactly the same position as she was in.

''It is disappointing to be rejected, but it is his decision at the end of the day. It can't be helped.'' Kasumi replied in a solemn tone, wishing that Yuuto would've picked her to be his significant other.

''Yeah, what Kasumi said.'' Zombina said out loud as a massive grin appeared on her face, with Vee sitting in between her cleavage for some strange reason. ''I get how you feel, and it's not fun being rejected, but we really should be happy for Beesh and Headless.''

''Yeah, I think Yuuto and Lala make a great couple.'' The orange slime added as she bobbed up and down joyously in the zombie's cleavage.

''But…'' Blare tried to reply, before Yuuto interrupted her.

''Blare, I know you're angry with me right now,'' He started in a calming tone to grab her attention, as she looked back at him expectantly, waiting patiently for an answer. ''but you've got to understand that I didn't just do it for my own interests, I did it for Lala's sake too. If the government caught us, I'd be arrested and she'd lose her place in the program, and that's the last thing I want. The only reason I told Smith is because she has the authority to help us out, but I didn't tell you or the other girls because I didn't want you to get into trouble because of me. I know that Lala and I are being really selfish right now, but we want to be together, whatever it takes.''

Blare stood there staring into his eyes as her ears pressed down against her head and her tail drooped down with a sense of melancholy, still gripping onto his shirt tight as a solitary tear trickled down her cheek. She could feel her heart break as her squad captain uttered those heart-wrenching words, freely admitting that he loved someone else, and not her. The hellhound couldn't understand why though, apart from Zombina, she spent the most time with him, going running in the mornings, spending most of the work day around each other, even during training, she was always by his side. She'd be the one to wish him goodnight when they got back home from work, and the pair had gotten fairly close too in the short time they knew each other. As she worried over the ''what if's'' and all the other possibilities they had to become a couple, she shut her eyes and started sobbing to herself, not caring who saw her in her down-trodden state. Before she could continue much further though, the blonde agent wrapped his arms around her and place a hand on the back of her head, before pulling her into a comforting hug. Blare's eyes shot wide open again upon feeling his embrace, as he started gently stroking her hair.

''Blare, whatever happens, you'll always be an important person in my life, and I want us to stay friends, no matter what. You got that?'' Yuuto continued, slightly tightening his grip around her.

The hellhound calmed down with the help of his comforting words, as she slowly wrapped her arms around his chest, and nestled her face into the crook of his neck, tears still flowing from the corners of her eyes. ''Damn it, Stud. It's hard to stay mad at you…'' Blare complained as she nuzzled her cheek against him and hugged him back tighter, almost to the point that the human was almost struggling to breathe.

''Blame it on my natural charm.'' He joked as he continued to comfort the hellhound in his arms.

As Yuuto continued to consul Blare, Lala looked on at the display with mixed emotions. The dullahan knew that her boyfriend only had eyes for her, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as she watched him shower the hellhound with care and attention, something she craved desperately from him. She wished she was the one cuddling with him right now, and she knew it was selfish, but she also knew that Yuuto was the kind of guy to help anyone in need, even a complete stranger, but that was one of the reasons she fell in love with him. He was a kind and caring man, but he knew when to be firm with people. He was tough and courageous, but he also had a soft side that shone through. She thought she was lucky to be his girlfriend, and she would be willing to do anything to keep that bond with him.

After a moment or two, Blare finally calmed down and broke free from the hug with her squad captain, looking back at him with a sincere smile and teary eyes. ''Thanks Stud. You really are the best.'' She said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks, her ears perked up again and her tail swaying from side to side joyfully.

''Just helping a friend out, no need to make a big deal out of it.'' Yuuto replied, rubbing the back of his head as he started feeling embarrassed about the compliment.

Without warning, Vee jumped out of Zombina's cleavage and bounced off the floor before transforming into her child-like form mid-air. She landed on Blare's back and wrapped her arms around her neck, causing the hellhound to stubble forwards slightly and yelp in surprise at the sudden affection she was receiving from the orange slime.

''You okay, Blare?'' Vee asked with a look of concern on her gelatinous face.

Blare looked back at her in surprise for a moment, but then a smile appeared on her face again as she raised a padded hand to the slime girl's head and petted it gently. ''Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks, you lil' Gooball.''

Vee giggled joyously as she wrapped her tendrils around the hellhound and nuzzled her cheek against hers. ''Gooball, Gooball.'' The slime girl replied with an adorable smile on her face, enjoying the affection she was receiving.

''Blare,'' Lala started as she moved next to her and Yuuto, grabbing the hellhound's attention. ''I know how hard it must be fer ye, but it pleases me tae hear that ye are accepting o' me bond with Yuuto. I wish there tae be no ill will between us.'' The dullahan continued with a smile on her face before giving her a curt nod, careful to keep her head from toppling from her shoulders.

Blare's smile dropped as she furrowed her eyebrows at the dullahan, her flame lashes igniting from the corners of her eyes, steadily increasing in size. Vee noticed the tension between to two women, and decided it was a good time to let go of the hellhound and step away from her.

''Lala, I may not know much about you, but I understand that you're a good person at heart, and it's pretty obvious that you're madly in love with Stud.'' Blare started as she stood right in front of the dullahan, before placing both her padded hands on the chuunibyou's shoulders. ''But, you've got to promise me one thing.'' She continued, giving Lala a stern look.

Feeling slightly nervous, Lala shifted into her reaper persona in a vain attempt to hide it. ''Name it, and I will do anything within me power as a Spectre o' Death tae fulfil this task.'' She answered as she placed a hand over her face, staring back at the hellhound between her fingers.

Blare's flame lashes started to burn more fiercely, desperately wanting to trust the dullahan as she started to speak. ''Promise me you'll look out for Stud, no matter what happens. Because it you don't,''

Before the hellhound could finish her sentence, Lala gave her a confident smile and responded ''I would give every fibre o' me being tae make him happy, I wish never tae leave his side.'' She answered, confident in her own convictions.

With that, Blare smiled back at the young reaper and removed her hands from Lala's shoulders. ''I'll keep you to your word.'' She replied, her flame lashes dying down as she spoke.

''Glad to see you two clear the air a bit.'' Yuuto interjected, happy to see them come to an agreement of sorts if the smirk on his face was any indication.

Lala glanced over at her boyfriend, a warm smile appearing on her face before she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his, nestling it in between her cleavage. ''I do nay wish tae cause ye any undue grievances, me Love. What matters most tae me is yer happiness, and I am willing tae go as far as a need tae protect it.'' The dullahan replied, resting her head on his shoulder, looking up at him with loving eyes.

''Okay, if everyone's done with the melodrama, then I'd like to get on with what I was going to discuss with Bishie-kun.'' Ms Smith spoke up in a serious tone, grabbing everyone's attention. ''I may have agreed to let him and Lala start dating privately, but as a coordinator of the Exchange Program, I can't officially recognise this relationship publicly.'' She then focuses her attention at the only other human in the room. ''So, as it stands Bishie-kun, I'll still need you to go on dates with the other MON agents, which the board has generously agreed to.''

*Sigh* ''Guess I can't wriggle my what out of this one.'' Yuuto complained to himself.

''Wait, is that alright, Boss?!'' Blare exclaimed as her flame lashes shot out of her eyes once again.

''If the amendments to the Interspecies Exchange Bill are to pass, we need sufficient evidence that stable relationships between humans and liminals are possible, and progress with the Kurusu Experiment is practically at a standstill right now. So now it's up to all the MON agents to step up to the plate, with Kazama at the forefront. Since the MON initiative started, people have started to see you as well-respected individuals, not to mention your reputation as the first anti-liminal spec-ops force. If the government sees that you're capable of engaging in romantic activities without causing any hassle, then we can prove not just that human-liminal relations are possible, but that we can co-exist without any of the current restraints on relations. I hope that you all understand the importance of this exercise you'll be undertaking.'' With that, everyone nodded in agreement.

''I canna say that I am happy with this arrangement the Organization has set up fer Yuuto, but if it results in our eventual union, then I shall bear with it as best as I can tae fulfil that wish.'' Lala replied, pouting to herself as she tightened her grip around her boyfriend's arm.

''Honestly didn't take you for the jealous type, Lala.'' Yuuto said to her with a gentle smile while rubbing the back of his head.

''Ms Smith, I just have one question.'' Kasumi added, raising one of her sickles to get the coordinator's attention.

''What is it?''

''In what order will we be going out with Senpai?''

As soon as she finished saying that, Blare, Kestria, and Raia's eyes widened in unison, all eager to voice their opinion.

''Well obviously it should be me, seeing I met Stud first.'' Blare said confidently with a massive grin and her chest stuck out, placing a padded hand to her chest.

''So, what? Doesn't mean you get first dibs on him.'' Kestria spoke up, crossing her wings across her chest as she glared at the hellhound with a look of irritation, while tapping the tip of one of her claws against the floor.

''Yeah, you girls will have to get past me first.'' Raia added, extending several long straps of bandages from her arms as a sadistic smile appeared on her face.

''Ladies, there's no need for threats.'' Kuroko said sternly, causing the members of Squad Bravo to return their attention to her. ''I have a more peaceful solution to this dilemma.'' She added with a sly smile, before walking back behind her desk to open one of the draws, pulling out several popsicle sticks, each numbered, and a small plastic cup. ''Tell me, have you girls heard of the King's Game?''

Each of the girls shook their heads in response.

''Basically, everyone pulls out a stick from the pot, all of which are numbered, except for one which denotes the King. We'll simplify things and just use the numbered sticks for this situation. I have five sticks here in the cup, numbered from one to five, and I want all of you to pick one. Whoever gets 'One' will be the first to go out with Bishie-kun, then following in order thereafter.''

''Should I be worried about the fact that you conveniently have tools for the King's Game readily available in your office?'' Yuuto asked as he eyed up his superior suspiciously.

''Wouldn't be the first time. She did that with me and the rest of Alpha Squad when we were starting up.'' Zombina answered, treating Ms Smith's methods as if it were a normal thing.

''Seems like a fair proposal. I agree to these terms.'' Kasumi said as she made her way towards Ms Smith.

''Fine, but I don't like putting it down to luck…'' Blare said begrudgingly as she did the same. ''We should've done Rock Paper Scissors if you asked me…''

''Maybe for those who have hands.'' Kestria replied, holding up her fingerless wings for emphasis.

''We might as well get this over with.'' Raia said as she sauntered over to Ms Smith.

Yuuto looked over to where Zombina was standing, noticing that she hadn't budged an inch. ''Aren't you getting in on this, Zee?'' He asked the zombie, rather confused that she hadn't been the first to rush over to their superior.

''Nah, I don't mind going last.'' The red-head replied with her signature grin. ''Me and the Alpha girls have something special planned for you, Beesh.'' She added, giving him a wink.

''It better not involve any misplaced body parts this time around…'' He replied in a despairing tone, to which Zombina snickered at.

''Alright, has everyone picked a stick they like.'' She asked the Bravo girls, to which they all nodded at her, each other them gripping onto one of the four popsicle sticks in the cup, all confident that they picked the right one. ''Okay, on the count of three, pull it out and show it to everyone.''

The tension in the air was building up as Blare, Kasumi, Kestria, and Raia, all glanced at each other, all determined to be the first one to go on a date with their squad captain. Yuuto could only think of how quickly he wanted these dates over with as Lala tightened her grip on his arm, the dullahan staring at the other girls enviously for getting to go out with her boyfriend before her.

A sly smile appeared on Kuroko's face before she started the countdown. ''One. Two. Three!''

Everything was up to fate to decide now.

* * *

A/N: And I think that's a good place to stop for now. I know not a lot has happened this chapter, but the girls needed to clear the air about how they felt about Yuuto and Lala starting dating suddenly. Hopefully, everyone's reactions were fitting for their characters, but I think for the most part everyone is alright with Yuuto and Lala being together, albeit with some lingering sense of jealousy. Not sure how to continue things in the next chapter, but I do plan on introducing two more new characters to the story to mix things up a bit. While I figure that out, with the 20,000 views milestone coming very close, the next chapter will be a bonus chapter, and I was thinking about delving into how Yuuto and Kimihito met exactly, as well as an explanation for the origins of Chuunibyou Kimihito too, should be fun to right. Anyways, thank you to everyone that's followed/favourited the story, as well as anyone who's left a review or any suggestions for the story, and most importantly, thanks for reading. Until next time.


	23. Bonus: The Pros and Cons of Friendship

Hey everyone, here's the 20,000 view special I promised. It's a lot longer than I originally anticipated, but I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

It was just a normal day at the Kurusu residence, as normal as it gets that is, and Yuuto and the other members of Squad Bravo decided to give the host and his homestays a visit. It was their day off and they had heard from Smith that Kimihito had a big feast planned in celebration of a centaur holiday Centorea brought up, so they took it as an excuse to spend time with the group, and get some free grub while they were at it, and of course, Yuuto needed no reason to spend time with his girlfriend anyway, so it was a win-win situation for him. They decided to come early in order to help Kimihito sort out the food for the feast, going as far as bringing food of their own to help ease the host's burden. As they were setting food on the table, Yuuto's curiosity got the best of him, and he had to ask what the celebration was for exactly.

''So, what is 'Commilitones' all about anyway? What does it even mean?'' The blonde agent asked the equestrian homestay as they were setting out the different dishes for the feast.

''Commilitones is the Latin word for 'Brothers-in-arms' Kazama.'' Centorea explained proudly as she set down a couple of salad bowls. ''We, the people of the proud centaur race commemorate this most revered occasion to honour the bonds of comradery which we hold most sacred. Verily, tis a time for family and friends to re-forge their bonds of love and trust.''

''Tis also a time to honour the valour of the warriors of our people, who fought and died for the survival of our race.'' Maredrianna added as she entered the dining area, also speaking proudly of her people's accomplishments. ''Many warriors lost their lives as our people fled from the growing threat of the Roman Empire, and if not for their brave sacrifice, our people would not exist today. To commemorate them, we hold a feast in their honour and recount tales of our own comradery, to strengthen the bonds with those we hold dear. It is this strong sense of honour and comradery that has allowed our people to be known as one of the greatest warrior races to exist to this day.''

''So, it's kind of like the centaur equivalent of Memorial Day, or Remembrance Day?''

''Tis far more than that, Kazama.'' The older mare replied. ''Thou can understand the importance of trust between comrades, taking into account that thou lead a group of well-trained warriors thyself.''

''Well, I guess there's no harm in reminding yourself of the important things every now and again.'' The human replied, rubbing the back of his head.

As they were talking, Kimihito, along with Suu and Vee, came out of the kitchen with the last of the dishes for the meal.

''That should be everything, I just hope there's enough for everyone.'' The host worried after placing the last of the dishes down on the table. ''Hey, everyone! Food's ready!'' He shouted to get the attention of everyone in the house.

Thankfully, the other girls were already waiting in the living room, with Miia, Blare, Papi, and Kestria, wasting no time rushing into the kitchen, with everyone else trickling in behind them.

''Wow, Darling, this all looks so good!'' The lamia exclaimed before wrapping herself around her host and hugging him tight. ''You never cease to amaze me with your cooking!'' She continued as she nuzzled her cheek against his, failing to see that Kimihito's face was slowly turning purple.

''Miia, cease this instant! Doth thou wish to suffocate our Master?!'' Centorea shouted in anger at the red-headed girl's lack of self control.

Miia glanced at her host to see that the life was slowly draining from his cheeks, before hurriedly loosening her grip on him in a panic. ''Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay, Darling?!'' She exclaimed, her voice full of concern while Kimihito took several deep breaths to recuperate himself.

''I'll…be fine…don't worry…'' He replied between ragged breaths, trying his best to alleviate her worries, though he was failing miserably.

''Holy crap, this looks amazing! I can't wait to dig in!'' Blare said out loud as she was literally drooling from the mouth at the feast in front of her.

''Blare, you're drooling…'' Yuuto warned her with a sigh of disbelief.

''Oh! Sorry Stud!'' The hellhound replied, wiping the drool with the back of her hand, before rubbing the back of her head, feeling embarrassed as she let out a nervous giggle.

''C'mon Kress, Papi's hungry!'' The blue-feathered harpy squawked as she ran into the dining room, waving her wings above her head.

''For the millionth time, it's Kes! How do you mess that up?!'' Kestria shouted back at Papi in annoyance as she strolled in behind her.

''C'mon, Kress. Don't keep her waiting.'' Yuuto teased the raptor harpy with a cheeky grin on his face.

''Don't you start, Hotshot!'' She replied, before walking up to him with her wings folded across her chest. ''I'm having a hard-enough time dealing with that girl's ADD without you butting in.''

''Well, it's just something you'll have to adapt to then. Can't let an apex predator such as yourself get frustrated over something so menial.'' The blonde human responded positively, patting his squad mate on the shoulder.

Kestria pouted at him for a moment, before smirking at him, staring at him with seductive eyes. ''You're lucky you're such a smooth talker, otherwise I'd have thrown you at a wall by now.''

''Err, thanks, I guess…'' Yuuto replied, feeling slightly unnerved by the raptor harpy's comment.

During their exchange, Kasumi and Rachnera made their way into the dining room, followed closely by Mero, with Raia pushing her wheelchair in. It seemed that everyone was ready to eat, but upon closer inspection, there was still one person left unaccounted for.

''Where's Lala?'' Kimihito questioned as he scanned the dining room for her presence.

''Mayhaps she is indulging in her illustrated scripts she's so fond of.'' Centorea answered, knowing the habits of her dullahan house mate well.

Yuuto was standing at the entrance of the kitchen as he felt a presence in there. A smirk appeared on his face as he voiced his thoughts to the group. ''Knowing her, she's probably already snuck up behind me.''

As if on cue, a pair of arms appeared from behind him and wrapped themselves around his chest. He could feel the sensation of two soft breasts press against his back, soon accompanied by the girl's chin resting on his shoulder, feeling her breath against his ear.

''It seems ye know me too well, me Love. Though I'd have tae wager that ye wanted this outcome more than meself.'' Lala said lovingly before kissing his cheek.

''What guy wouldn't want to cuddle up with their girlfriend?'' He said, responding to her affections by pressing his lips to hers.

''Will you two stop sucking face already?! Some of us want to eat!'' Miia shouted in annoyance, her stomach on the verge of eating itself, or at the very least it felt like it.

Papi was also getting impatient, and decided to voice her annoyance as well. ''Yeah Yuugo!''

''Yuuto…'' The blonde agent corrected the harpy with a hint of irritation.

''Papi wants to eat too!'' The blue-feathered harpy continued, not paying attention to his correction.

''Very well, me appetite is in dire need o' quelling also.'' Lala relented as she moved from his back to cling to his arm.

''Yeah, I'm starting to get hungry myself.'' Yuuto concluded, making his way to the table with Lala in tow.

With everyone having taken a seat at the table, Maredrianna spoke up to get everyone's attention. ''Before we start, in keeping with the traditions of Commilitones, if anyone would honour the occasion by regaling us with a tale of comradery, let them speak now.'' He said out loud, glancing at each individual at the table in hopes that someone would speak up.

''I could tell you a load of stories from when Kimihito and I were in school, those were some crazy times.'' Yuuto replied as a smirk appeared on his face.

Kimihito suddenly started sweating beads before speaking up himself. ''I-I-I don't think there was anything too interesting that happened back then, not in the sense Maredrianna might be suggesting.'' The host answered nervously.

''Nonsense! Everyone must have at least one compelling story to tell!'' The older mare exclaimed, intrigued to hear more from the blonde agent.

''Hey Kazama-kun, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now.'' Miia suddenly interjected, grabbing the MON agent's attention.

''Oh, what's that?'' Yuuto asked with a quizzical look on his face.

''How did you and Darling meet exactly?''

Upon hearing that, Kimihito spurted out the drink he was in the middle of drinking, suddenly flustered by the lamia's inquiry.

Suddenly, a sinister grin appeared on Yuuto's face as Miia's question escaped her lips. ''Now that is a story worth telling, don't you think, Kimihito?'' He said, his tone becoming more menacing as he directed his attention towards his friend.

''Raia, I believe that Senpai is picking up on some of your more undesirable qualities.'' Kasumi commented, sending a suspicious look towards her mummy squad mate.

''I don't see a problem with it. Personally, I like this Medjay.'' Raia replied, smiling seductively at her squad captain.

''Trust me, he's always been like this when he wants to wind me up!'' Kimihito explained to the pair before directing his attention towards his old friend. ''And no, it's not that interesting!'' He continued, his voice full of panic as he waved his arms frantically. ''We ran into each other after the opening ceremony, started hanging out, nothiMMMPPPHH! '' He was cut short as his mouth was suddenly covered in silk, quickly followed by his arms and chest being restrained to the chair he was sitting in.

Rachnera stood behind him, marvelling at her handiwork before she rested her breasts atop his head and wrapped her arms around him. ''Now Honey, I think we all deserve to hear the full story, don't you think?'' She asked her host, her voice as sweet as honey, to which he replied with muffled grunts.

''Oh, please Sir Kazama, do enlighten us with how you first met my Beloved.'' Mero requested, her eyes full of curiosity.

''Yeah, Kazama-kun. I bet Darling was such a cutie back in school.'' Miia added as her cheeks turned red, while she subtly wrapped the tip of her tail around Kimihito's leg.

''C'mon Stud, just tell us!'' Blare shouted with great enthusiasm.

''Papi wants to know too!'' The blue-haired harpy exclaimed, waving her wings in the air excitedly.

''Even though you'll instantly forget once Hotshot's done?'' Kestria added, giving her blue-feathered counterpart a sceptical look.

''Us too, Yuuto!'' Suu and Vee shouted in unison, mimicking Papi's movements.

''My apologies, Master, but I too wish to learn the truth of thy first encounter with Kazama.'' Centorea added with a hint of shame, failing to honour his wishes for the sake of her own curiosity.

''Aye, I too wish tae discover how ye and Kurusu's fates intertwined.'' Lala said as she placed her hand on top of his, their fingers intertwining as she did so.

''Well, I can hardly say no, now that everyone's so interested.'' Yuuto replied, earning him a sour look from Kimihito, the host being unable to do anything else in his current position. Yuuto then cleared his throat as he prepared to tell of how he and Kimihito Kurusu first met. ''I remember it like it was yesterday…''

* * *

 _11 years ago…_

 _It was early April, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. The opening ceremony for one of Tokyo's middle schools had come to an end, and the first-year students were making their way home after induction. At the back of the school, there was a blonde twelve-year-old boy, wearing a black gakuran with the buttons of the top undone, revealing a white t-shirts underneath, as well as a pair of white trainers. He was looking for somewhere to isolate himself from the rest of the world, if only for a short time. Things at home weren't going great for him right now, and he wanted an excuse to avoid going back straight away._

'' _Dad's become such an asshole since Mom left home.'' The boy thought to himself, reflecting on the situation that was responsible for his current state of melancholy. ''Why did she have to leave? Why couldn't she bring me and Hikari with her?''_

 _As he was looking for somewhere to sit down and process his thoughts, he was brought back to reality by a sudden noise._

'' _Meow.''_

 _The blonde boy looked up at one of the trees to find the culprit, which as a small black kitten that looked like it had gotten stuck on one of the branches. To his surprise though, the kitten wasn't the tree's only occupant. His eyes shot wide open as he saw another boy who was attending the school, who had messy jet-black hair and brown eyes, wearing the exact same uniform he was, albeit with the top buttoned up. He was on the same branch as the cat, edging his way closer to it, presumably trying to rescue it._

'' _Come here, kitty. It's okay.'' The boy in the tree said in a soothing tone in an attempt to calm the creature down._

 _The kitten wasn't budging an inch, too scared to approach the stranger edging his was closer to it._

 _The blonde boy continued to stare at the spectacle he was witnessing for a moment, until he realised that the other boy could use some help, and decided to make his presence known. ''Hey, you okay up there?'' He said, loud enough for the other boy to hear, but his attempt at making himself known had drastic consequences._

 _The boy in the tree almost jumped out of his skin at the sudden new arrival, which caused the branch to shake violently for a moment. He and the kitten clung for dear life until the shaking had stopped. Just as he thought it was safe, he heard a cracking sound near the base of the branch, which was soon followed by a loud snap. The branch snapped off the tree, and it started to fall with the boy and cat still on it. The black-haired boy quickly grabbed hold of the kitten and held it close to his chest as they plummeted to the ground. They fell a good twenty feet before landing in the bushes below with a hard thud, sending cherry blossom petals flying across the surrounding area. The blonde boy's eyes widened in shock at the calamity before him, worried that his actions might've caused harm to the other boy. He then rushed over to where the branch landed to see if the other boy was injured or not._

'' _Oh crap! Are you alright?!'' The blonde shouted, frantically searching for the black-haired boy's whereabouts._

 _Suddenly, the kitten shot out of the bushes unharmed, shortly followed by the other boy who stood straight up from where he landed, seemingly unharmed for the most part. The black-haired boy looked around frantically as he started to panic._

'' _Where's the cat?! Is it alright?!'' He exclaimed with worry, hoping that the kitten he rescued was alright._

'' _It's over there.'' The blonde-haired boy replied, pointing a finger towards where it ran off to._

 _Both boys looked over to where it had scurried off to, finding it nuzzling against a larger black cat, presumably it's mother. After a moment, the mother and its kitten scurried off around the building, and out of sight. The black-haired boy sighed in relief, glad that his efforts weren't wasted._

'' _Thank goodness, that was a close one.'' He said to himself, brushing off the leaves and petals on his head._

'' _Are you kidding me?!'' The blonde shouted at him, causing the other boy to flinch in surprise. ''You must've fallen a good twenty feet at least! There's no way you didn't hurt yourself!''_

 _The black-haired boy stared at him for a moment, before looking himself over. It seemed that had a small cut on the palm of his right hand, as well as a cut on his left cheek. Other than that, miraculously, it looked like he sustained no serious injuries whatsoever._

'' _I think I'm fine, mostly. I can just sort myself out when I get…'' He was cut off when the blonde boy suddenly lifted him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and started walking towards one of the entrances of the building. ''Hey! What are you doing?!'' The black-haired boy exclaimed in a panic, flailing his arms and legs frantically._

'' _I refuse to believe you didn't break anything from that fall. You're coming with me to the nurse's office.'' The blonde replied in a stern tone, insistent that he was doing the right thing. ''I'd feel bad if you actually hurt yourself and I didn't do anything about it.''_

 _The black-haired boy relented and calmed himself down, resigning himself to his fate, whatever that might be. ''Fine, but can you at least let me walk? I don't feel comfortable up here.'' He said in a pleading tone._

'' _And risk you running off? Not a chance.''_

* * *

'' _Well, apart from the cuts and bruises, it looks like you're in good health, Kurusu.'' The young female nurse explained with a smile as she finished applying the plaster to the boy's cheek._

 _The two boys were in the nurse's office, the boy called Kurusu just finished being checked over by the school nurse. She looked like she was in her mid to late twenties, and had long silky black hair and blue eyes, wearing a grey blouse and tight blue jeans, which she wore under a white lab coat. Happy that there was no serious harm to him, she allowed Kurusu and the other boy to leave._

'' _Thank you very much, Ma'am.'' Kurusu said as he bowed to her, thankful for her efforts._

'' _Yeah, thanks for your help, Miss Shimizu.'' The blonde added, bowing himself._

'' _No problem, just try to be more careful in future.'' She replied before waving them off. ''Enjoy the rest of your day.''_

 _As the pair left the room and shut the door behind them, Kurusu let out a sigh of relief, now free to do what he wanted to again. The blonde on the other hand, was still perplexed by how Kurusu wasn't injured, apart from the few cuts he sustained._

'' _Hey, err, Kurusu, was it?'' The blonde asked, getting the black-haired boy's attention._

'' _Yeah, Kimihito Kurusu.'' He answered, before realising that he didn't know the blonde boy's name. ''I don't think I caught your name though.''_

'' _Yuuto Kazama.'' The blonde replied, finally revealing his identity. ''But enough about me, I still don't get how you didn't break anything from that fall.'' Yuuto continued, looking at Kimihito suspiciously._

'' _Guess I just got lucky.'' Kurusu replied, rubbing the back of his head nervously._

'' _Maybe, but it just seems strange though. It's like you're being protected by something supernatural, or some shit like that. Not like that sort of stuff actually exists.''_

 _Kimihito's eyes shot wide open at the mentioning of the supernatural, even he had to agree with Yuuto that it was strange for a boy to fall twenty feet without breaking anything. He then looked over his hand, which was wrapped up in bandages to cover his cut, curious about what could've prevented him from any further harm._

'' _You really think so?'' Kurusu questioned, starting to believe the idea himself._

'' _Like I said, that stuff isn't real. You might just be having a lucky streak.'' Kazama answered, before he glanced at his watch to check the time. His eyes shot open, realising that he had been with Kimihito longer than he expected. ''Shit, I'm running late. My dad's going to kill me!'' He shouted before running down the corridor, towards the school entrance. ''I'll probably see you tomorrow, Kurusu! Take care!''_

'' _You too, Kazama…'' Kurusu replied, but the blonde was already long gone._

 _With that, Kimihito was left by himself with his own thoughts. He looked back down at his bandage covered hand, thinking over what Yuuto had told him about the possible intervention of the supernatural. Was it real, or was it just pure luck? Either way, he felt that he was given a gift, and that he had to make full use of it, whatever it was._

* * *

 _The next day…_

 _Yuuto had arrived to school and was at his locker, putting on his sneakers that the school provided. He had gotten in trouble with his father for being late yesterday, and he had been put through a long lecture about being punctual. This was nothing new to the blonde, and he shrugged it off like he usually did, he would be glad to be at school, just so he could get away from him. As he was changing into his sneakers, all seemed normal, until he heard a familiar voice from behind him._

'' _It seems you are afflicted with doubt, Kazama.''_

 _The blonde glanced behind him to find Kurusu, but he wasn't prepared for what he saw. Kurusu was wearing his gakuran, but he only had the top button of his top fastened, and was wearing it like a cape. He had the bandage wrapped around his right hand, and the plaster on his cheek from yesterday, but now he also had a bandage wrapped around his neck, and a medical eye patch over his left eye._

'' _Worry not, for I, the Unholy Chosen, will cleanse you of your ailment.'' Kurusu continued, striking various dramatic poses._

 _Yuuto just stared blackly at Kurusu for a moment, confused as to why he was acting so strange suddenly. Yesterday, he acted like any other middle school student, now though, he thinks he's some sort of chosen one._

'' _Kurusu? Is this some sort of prank?'' Yuuto asked, hoping this was Kimihito's idea of a joke._

'' _I wouldn't jest about such matters when a comrade is involved. You have opened my eyes to my true potential, and now I must- ''_

'' _Woah, hold off on the 'Unholy Chosen' act for one second!'' The blonde interrupted. ''Is this about what I told you yesterday? Because I wasn't being serious about the whole supernatural protection deal.''_

'' _Maybe you weren't, but I have decided to make use of my talents. There must be some greater purpose planned for me, a task only I can accomplish.'' Kurusu continued flamboyantly, unrelenting with his new-found persona._

'' _Okay, good for you.'' Kazama replied unenthusiastically, more interested in putting an end to Kurusu's façade. ''Seriously though, you might want to cool off on the whole 'Chuunibyou' phase you're going through right now. People aren't going to be as understanding as I am. You might attract the wrong attention.''_

 _Kimihito brushed off the comment, his new-found confidence blinding him to the consequences of his act. ''If such people do decide to stand in my way, they'll have wished they've never done so. I do thank you for your warning though, but it is unneeded.'' With that, he made his leave, leaving Yuuto gobsmacked by the encounter. Kurusu said one last thing before he left the blonde's sight though. ''La jodaso stiana.''_

'' _What the hell does that even mean?!'' Kazama shouted, but the new chuunibyou was already gone._

 _Some of the other students giggled and made harsh comments about the strange conversation they just witnessed, but Yuuto didn't care about that. Right now, he felt partially responsible for the how Kimihito was now acting, and now he had to make sure that the chuunibyou didn't do anything stupid that would get him into trouble, but even so, the blonde couldn't help but smirk about this strange turn of events._

'' _Well, if nothing else, at least school got a lot more interesting.'' He thought to himself, glad that something had livened up his school days at least._

* * *

 _Second period had not long ended, and Yuuto was looking for Kimihito, seeing that they were in separate classes. He felt the need to keep an eye on the chuunibyou, hopeful that the could stop the 'Unholy Chosen' from attracting too much attention to himself, lest he be targeted by any potential delinquents. As he was walking down one of the more secluded corridors, he heard a commotion from near the staircase._

'' _So, you think you're hot shit now? You should've just kept to yourself, Kurusu.''_

'' _Damn it, Ohama! You will not get the better of me!''_

 _Yuuto made his way to the staircase and peeked around the corner to find Kimihito with his back pinned against the lockers, surrounded by three other boys, the most prominent of them being a tall boy with medium length brown hair who was grasping at Kimihito's shirt. The blonde could only guess that this was Ohama._

'' _Really? Because all I see is a little weed that needs pulling out.'' Ohama replied with his friends snickering alongside him._

'' _Be warned, there'll be conseque-!'' Kurusu was interrupted as Ohama kneed him in the gut, now slowly slumping to the floor, reeling in pain._

 _Ohama raised his fist ready to bring it down on the poor chuunibyou. ''Now, Kurusu. It's time you learnt your place.''_

 _As the boy was about to throw the punch at Kimihito, Yuuto stepped in and grabbed his wrist, putting a stop to the attack. Ohama looked back in shock to see the blonde's face, now contorted with a sinister grin._

'' _Mind if I cut in?''_

 _Before Ohama could answer, Yuuto pulled back on the boy's wrist, knocking him off balance, following it up by throwing a punch to the boy's chest. Ohama was sent flying towards the opposite wall, his back hitting the lockers hard. One of the other boys tried to punch Yuuto from behind, only for the blonde to duck under his attack at the last second. Yuuto then brought his head up to headbutt the underside of the boy's chin, dazing him and causing him to fall to the ground. The other boy tried to charge at him, but Yuuto brought his leg up and kicked the boy in the gut, causing him to collide with the staircase. Just as Yuuto thought he handled the situation, he felt a fist collide with the side of his face, causing him to stumble to the ground. He looked up to find Ohama looking down at him, his face full of rage._

'' _You should've stayed out of this, Dick-weed!'' He shouted, raising his foot to stomp down on the blonde._

 _Before it could happen, a bandaged fist came crashing against Ohama's face, causing the boy to go flying towards the lockers again with some force. His head collided with the lockers, and he slumped to the ground, now unconscious. Yuuto looked up to see Kimihito with a look of satisfaction on his face._

'' _It seems Ohama underestimated our combined might.'' The chuunibyou said out loud, before extending a hand towards Yuuto. ''I am very much in your debt, Kazama, but for now, we should retreat from the physical realm to recover.''_

'' _No need to tell me twice.'' The blonde replied with a smirk as he grasped Kimihito's hand._

 _Now that Yuuto was on his feet again, Kimihito took the lead and ran up the stairs, with the blonde in tow. They climbed several flights of stair before they reached the door to the rooftop. Once on the rooftop, Yuuto slammed the door behind him, hopeful that they weren't being pursued. He rested his back against the door to catch his breath, while Kimihito rested his hands on his knees, taking deep breaths himself._

'' _Damn, Kurusu. You pack one hell of a punch.'' Yuuto complemented the chuunibyou._

'' _It is my Oblivion Fist. I only use it in the direst of situations.'' Kimihito replied in an overdramatic tone._

'' _Call it whatever you want, hopefully it'll keep that asshole off our backs for a while.''_

'' _Indeed, he will not forget this day soon. Though, in the time since our first meeting, I've come to realise something of great importance.'' The chuunibyou continued, his tone turning serious._

'' _And what would that be?'' The blonde questioned with a quizzical look on his face._

'' _As talented as I am, even I, the Unholy Chosen, cannot stand against the evils of this world by myself.'' He started, making his way towards Yuuto. ''Which is why I've decided to call upon you as my ally. In the past few days, you have come to my aid during my greatest challenges without any selfish intent, and you succeeded in protecting me every time.'' With that, the chuunibyou extended his hand to the blonde. ''Yuuto, would you do me the honour of becoming my Blood Brother?''_

 _Yuuto stared at his hand for a moment, unsure of whether he should take his hand or not. He couldn't deny that things had gotten interesting since running into Kurusu, but he also realised that hanging out with the now chuunibyou would also make school life for him difficult, especially if they had to spend their days fending of delinquent after delinquent. He also realised that in doing so, he could keep his mind off what was happening at home, and that in itself made the proposition more tempting._

 _His mind now made up, Yuuto raised his had to take Kimihito's, and shook it. ''Well, someone's got to watch your back.'' He replied with a smirk on his face._

 _Kurusu grinned back at him and tightened his grip. ''Excellent. With this, the Accursed Brotherhood is now born.''_

 _Yuuto's eyes widened in surprise at the ridiculous name Kurusu came up with. ''I'm fine with hanging out with you, but there is no way you're calling us the-!''_

 _Before he could finish his sentence, the school bell went off, signalling the end of the break. With that, Kurusu let go of the blonde's hand and made his way through the door and down the stairs. ''Our time is short. We should make haste back to the material world, lest we be cursed to a fate worse than death.'' Kurusu said as he rushed down the stairs._

 _Yuuto was silent for a moment, before he started snickering to himself. ''Whatever you say, Kimihito.''_

* * *

''…and that's how I met the Unholy Chosen.'' Yuuto finished off his story with what could only be described as a shit-eating grin.

''Wow! That was super cool, Yuugo!'' Papi exclaimed in pure excitement.

''Super cool!'' Suu added with cheerful glee.

''I really liked that story, Yuuto!'' Vee said, waving her arms and tendrils in the air.

''I knew there was something that set Kurusu apart from other mortals. I am glad that ye have finally exposed this hidden past, me Love.'' Lala said, squeezing his hand lovingly.

''It was fun, but I still can't believe that Darling was like Lala at one point. It's kind of funny.'' Miia added, trying to stifle her giggling.

''Mayhaps, but still, it was a great example of friendship and comradery that we could all learn from. Don't you agree, Master?'' Centorea said, now directing her attention to Kimihito, though her question went unanswered, only then realising that the host was still gagged, leaning his head to one side as if he was in a vegetated state. ''Master?!'' The younger centaur shouted with worry.

''You okay there, Honey?'' Rachnera asked, lightly prodding his cheek.

''Guess he died of embarrassment. Who knew that was a thing?'' Yuuto said in an uncaring tone.

''To be fair, if I was in his position, I would die of embarrassment too…'' Kestria added with a sense of empathy.

''Oh, to spend your last moments being tortured about one's past misdeeds!'' Mero exclaimed overdramatically, as her eyes started to sparkle with ecstasy. ''It's so tragic!''

''Shut it, you Tragedy Freak! Darling's not dead!'' Miia shouted back with great annoyance.

With that, Kimihito was shaken from his lifeless state with a panicked look on his face. He tried speak, only for it to come out in muffled ramblings due to the silken gagged still wrapped around his mouth.

''What was that, Honey?'' Rachnera asked as she removed the gag and cut him free from his restraints.

''I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT, YUUTO!'' The host shouted, clearly pissed off with his friend.

''Hey, you've only got yourself to blame for your actions.'' The blonde human replied with a cheesy grin, clearly enjoying winding his friend up.

''An excellent tale, Kazama!'' Maredrianna exclaimed, applauding him for his great story-telling. ''Now, would anyone else like to share a tale worthy of commemorating the event?''

Suddenly, Kimihito remember something that happened to him and Yuuto back in high school, and a sinister grin appeared on his own face. ''I do remember this one time when Yuuto asked for my help in asking someone in our class out.''

Yuuto's eyes shout wide open, just remembering the embarrassing event himself. ''Don't you dare, Kimihito! No way in hell you're teMMMFFFPPPHHH!'' The blonde was quickly silenced as a linen bandage wrapped tightly over his mouth, another one tying around his arms and chest to restrain him to the chair.

''Oh, do tell, Kurusu. This I have to hear.'' Raia said, her focus squarely on the liminal host.

''I must say I am interested in this story too.'' Kasumi added, her compound eyes full of curiosity.

''What embarrassing stunt did Hotshot try to pull then?'' Kestria asked as a sly smile crossed her lips.

''Yeah, Kurusu-kun! Tell us!'' Blare shouted as flames shout out from the corners of her eyes.

Yuuto tried his best to protest, but his efforts were in vain as all he was able to do was make muffled grunts of frustration.

''Me apologies Yuuto, but me curiosity must be quenched.'' Lala said in a comforting tone as she gently stroked his hair.

If anything can be taught from the event of Commilitones, it's that if you have an embarrassing story to tell about your friends, then chances are that they have several stories of their own about you, so choose your battles carefully, otherwise you'll end up like poor Kimihito and Yuuto.


	24. A surprise visit

A few days have past, and it was Yuuto's day off. It was early morning and he just got back from the local bathhouse, and now he was cooking up breakfast, wearing a red t-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of brown trainers. While he was cooking breakfast, Vee was crawling around the kitchenette in her blob form, cleaning the floor like a Roomba as she went along. Yuuto smirked to himself as he saw the orange slime crawl around him from the corner of his eye.

''Who would've thought slimes could be so useful.'' The blonde muttered to himself as he was finishing off the miso soup.

Just as he was finishing up breakfast, Vee changed back into her child-like form, and emptied everything she picked up into the bin. She then moved to the human's side and wrapped her arms around his waist.

''Did I do a good job?'' Vee asked, beaming up at him with a joyous smile.

''You did great, Sweetie.'' Yuuto replied, patting the slime on the head.

Vee giggled happily and nuzzled her cheek against him as she was being petted.

''Vee, can you got and sit at the table? Breakfast is almost ready.''

''Okay!'' The slime exclaimed, untangling herself from the human before taking a seat at the table.

Yuuto then began to bringing trays of food to the table, both consisting of grilled fish, miso soup, a bowl of rice, dried seaweed, fermented soy beans, and a green salad. He placed the two trays down on the table before heading back to the kitchenette to retrieve another two trays of the same.

''Kasumi, you can come out now.'' Yuuto said out loud, which caused Vee to look around the room quizzically, seeing that the empusa was nowhere in sight.

After a moment, the doors to the wardrobe opened, and the shinobi in question poked her head out slightly, eyeing up her squad captain. ''How did you know I was here?'' Kasumi asked, perplexed by the fact that she'd been discovered so easily.

''Lucky guess, plus you left the window open again.''

She looked towards the window, and saw that it was in fact left ajar like the blonde said. She then stepped out of the wardrobe, wearing a green t-shirt, a black skirt, and a pair of white trainers, and bowed to him. ''My apologies, Senpai. It seems my techniques have been getting sloppy as of late.'' She responded flatly.

''Yeah, that's not what you should be apologising for…'' Yuuto replied, being somewhat annoyed by the empusa's antics.

Suddenly, his phone started vibrating in his pocket as he placed the two remaining trays of food on the table. He pulled it out from his pocket to find that it was from Lala, which was hardly surprising seeing that she texted him on a daily basis at this point.

''Kasumi, can you close the wardrobe please?'' He asked the empusa as he opened up the email on his phone.

''As you wish, Senpai.'' Kasumi answered with a bow.

As she was doing that, Yuuto started reading the message from his chuunibyou girlfriend.

 **Greetings, me Love. Prepare fer me imminent arrival upon yer plane o' existence. I anticipate the offering ye have prepared fer meself. Lala x**

As Yuuto put his phone away, Kasumi took a seat at the table next to Vee after she had shut the wardrobe doors. ''Senpai, are we expecting any guests?'' The empusa asked, tilting her head to the side.

''Give it a second.''

Kasumi raised an eyebrow in confusion until the wardrobe doors flung open suddenly, soon followed by the young reaper stepping out of it, wearing her usual gothic attire, trench coat and all. Lala took on a dramatic pose and placed a hand over her face, ready to announce her arrival in her typical chuunibyou fashion.

''Do nay fear me, mortals. This Knight o' Death merely seeks sustenance fer me eternal task o' ushering lost souls tae their rightful place.'' The Chuunihan said aloud with a smile curling onto her lips as she laid her eyes on the group before her.

Kasumi had a look of awe on her face as the dullahan stepped out of the wardrobe she had been only moments ago, both her and Vee applauding the spectacle they just witnessed.

''You know, it wouldn't surprise me if a talking lion came out of the wardrobe one of these days.'' Yuuto said sarcastically, a cheeky grin forming on his face as he locked eyes with his girlfriend.

Lala lowered her hand as she sauntered over to her boyfriend, eager to feel his embrace. ''Ye are fortunate that it is free o' such a curse, seeing ye are already affiliated with a Spectre o' Death.'' She replied with her cheeks flushed red, before she placed her hands on his shoulders and lightly pressed her lips to his.

Yuuto wrapped his arms around her waist as he reciprocated the kiss, only for their lips to part soon after. ''Well, lucky me then.'' He replied as his cheeks went red too, resting his forehead against Lala's as he looked lovingly into her golden eyes.

''Senpai, your food is getting cold.''

Yuuto and Lala were brought back to reality at the empusa's prodding, before reluctantly separating from one another. The pair then made their way to the table and sat next to each other opposite Kasumi and Vee.

''Yeah, would be a waste not to enjoy it.'' He replied, picking up his chopsticks. ''Let's eat.''

* * *

''Thank you for the food.'' The girls said in unison after finishing their meals.

''Glad you girls enjoyed it.'' Yuuto replied as he started taking the trays to the kitchenette to be washed later.

''Aye, it seems ye have been enlightened by Kurusu's culinary talents.'' Lala replied, dabbing a handkerchief to her lips.

KNOCK KNOCK

Just as Yuuto placed the first two trays in the kitchenette, there came a knocking from his front door. The human then sighed to himself as he started making his way to the door. ''I bet that'll be either Zee or Blare, god knows what they'd want though.''

''Along as they keep their hands tae themselves, they will be nay bother tae me.'' Lala declared out loud, her jealous streak kicking in.

The blonde glanced back at her as he pushed the handle to open the door. ''Yeah, I think you've made it clear enough that you've staked your claim on-''

''YUU-NII!''

''AAAAHHHH!''

Yuuto was suddenly tackled to the ground by a young human woman, who had blue eyes and shoulder length blonde wavy hair, and was wearing a grey tank top, blue skinny jeans, and a pair of white trainers. After landing hard on his back, Yuuto looked up at the girl in annoyance, who was currently lying on top of him with her arms wrapped around his neck, looking down at him with an innocent, yet mischievous grin on her face.

''Damn it, Hikari. Do you always have to do that?'' Yuuto asked in an annoyed tone, barely keeping himself from karate chopping her head for tackling him.

''Aww c'mon, Yuu-nii. How else is a little sister supposed to show how much she loves her big brother?'' Hikari answered back in a playful tone as she nuzzled her cheek against his.

''Oh, I dunno. Maybe hug them like a normal person would? He retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

''You know you love it really.''

Yuuto just groaned back in annoyance as his sister continued to nuzzle him while giggling to herself.

Lala, Kasumi, and Vee were in the corridor of the apartment at this point, staring at the human woman with curiosity, and in Lala's case, with a pang of jealousy as well. Hikari looked up at the girls and immediately eyed up the orange slime, her face now beaming with awe and excitement. She quickly got off her brother and ran towards the slime, now wrapping Vee into a tight hug as she nuzzled the slime's cheek lovingly.

''Aww, you're so cute!'' The blonde woman exclaimed, while Vee giggled joyously, wrapping her arms and tendrils around the human.

''Me apologies, Mortal, but who are ye, and what do ye want with me Love?'' Lala asked the girl, gazing down at her sceptically.

''Are you by any chance related to Senpai?'' Kasumi added with a quizzical look on her face.

Hikari looked up and was now focusing her attention towards Lala, before breaking the hug with Vee stepping right in front of the dullahan, her eyes beaming with excitement once more. ''Love?! Then does that make you my brother's girlfriend?!'' She exclaimed excitedly, unable to contain herself.

''Well, in a manner o' speaking,'' The dullahan began in an embarrassed tone as her cheeks went red, shifting her gaze away from the blonde girl in front of her, but before she could finish, the human grabbed hold of her hands tightly, now visibly overjoyed to find out that Lala was going out with her brother.

''Wow, that's awesome! When did you two first meet?! How long have you been going out?! How far have you-!'' Hikari was stopped dead in her tracks as Yuuto karate chopped the back of her head hard, causing the girl to wince in pain for a moment, before looking up at the culprit with teary eyes and a disapproving look on her face. ''Ouch! What was that for, Yuu-nii?!'' She exclaimed in a whining tone.

''Would you mind not interrogating my girlfriend? You've only just met.'' He replied in an annoyed tone, furrowing his eyebrows at his little sister.

''Jeez, you don't have to be so mean about it…'' She complained, rubbing the back of her head where she was hit. ''Anyway, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?''

''I'm surprised you haven't done it yourself yet.'' Yuuto answered before turning his attention to the other girls. ''Girls, this is my little sister, Hikari Kazama. Part-time waitress and full-time pain in the ass.'' He continued in a snarky tone.

''Hey! How rude!'' His younger sister exclaimed, pouting at him.

''Should've introduced yourself then.''

Hikari calmed herself down as she turned her attention away from him, now focusing on the liminals in the apartment. ''Hey, it's nice to meet you all. I hope we get along.'' She said, bowing to the group.

''Hi, I'm Vee!'' The orange slime exclaimed, waving her arms and tendrils in the air.

''Greetings, I am Kasumi Hayashi. I work with your brother at the ICEP.'' The empusa said, giving the human a bow of her own.

Lala smiled to herself as her reaper persona kicked in. ''And I am a Knight 'o Death, a being that is one with the darkness, me duty being tae…''

''This is my girlfriend, Lala. She's an exchange student in the Exchange Program, though she likes to break out into dramatics every now and again.'' Yuuto interrupted his girlfriend, which earned him an adorable pout from the dullahan.

''Oh, she's kind of like how Kimi-kun was back in middle school, right?'' The blonde girl asked her older brother.

''Basically. Speak of Kimihito, he's actually a host for the program, and it just so happens that he's Lala's host too, as well as a few other girls.''

Hikari's eyes lit up with amazement as she grabbed Lala's hands tightly once more. ''Oh, wow! It really is a small world! How is Kimi-kun as a host?! I bet you must love his cooking!''

Lala was finding it hard to keep up with the woman talking to her. ''W-W-Well, I have found nay grievances during me time living under Kurusu's care, and fer a mortal, his cooking is beyond this world.'' Lala replied nervously, unable to hold eye contact with Hikari.

''That's great!'' The blonde girl exclaimed with joy. ''You know, I'm actually a host for the program myself.'' She boasted as her face was plastered with a massive grin.

''Now that you mention it, where is Mireille? Isn't she supposed to be with you?'' Yuuto asked his little sister.

Hikari's face went pale at the mentioning of her homestay, before she suddenly let go of Lala's hands and started to panic. ''Oh my God! I was in so much of a rush to see you that I left her in the lobby! I'll be in so much trouble if Smith-!'' The girl was cut short again as her brother karate chopped her on the forehead, which succeeded to stopping the girl's worrying for a moment. ''Yuu-nii! You can be so abusive sometimes!''

''Pipe down a sec, will you? She can't have gone- ''

''HIKARI! WHERE ARE YOU?!''

Suddenly the group heard the shouting of a young woman coming from the hallway outside the apartment. Yuuto and Hikari ran outside through the still open door to see where it was coming from. As they looked towards the general direction of the staircase, they found a papillion woman fluttering around with worry, desperately trying to find her missing host. The woman had blue compound eyes and long blue hair, which had a short braid going down the right side of her face. She also had four arms which were covered in a blue carapace, two long antennae protruding from the top of her head, and had two large butterfly wings protruding from her back, coloured with blue and pink intertwining swirls. She was wearing a white t-shirt with four sleeves and a large hole in the back for her wings to go through, blue shorts, and a pair of black trainers.

''Mireille! Over here!'' Hikari shouted, waving her arms frantically to grab the papillion's attention.

Mireille looked towards the pair of humans with a sense of relief, mixed with a feeling of annoyance towards her host for ditching her to go find her brother. She fluttered over to where they were standing, landing only a few feet in front of the Kazama siblings once she reached them.

The papillion looked towards her host with a pout on her face. ''How could you leave moi alone like that? I would've been lost if not for the help of the receptionist.'' Mireille said in a French accent, sounding somewhat annoyed.

''Sorry, guess I got a little too excited about seeing Yuuto after so long.'' Hikari replied, letting out an embarrassed giggle as she rubbed the back of her head.

*Sigh* ''Seriously, you can be so irresponsible sometimes…'' Yuuto added, annoyed by his sister's overly carefree nature.

''Ah, Yuuto. It is good to see you again.'' Mireille said to the MON agent, bowing before him as she did so. ''Are you doing well?''

''Yeah, I'm good, thanks for asking. How about you though? Must be hard putting up with Hikari.'' He asked back, not missing the chance to tease his little sister.

''Hey! You're being really mean today!'' Hikari shouted in protest. ''As a matter of fact, she loves living with me, right, Mireille?'' She asked the papillion, her eyes pleading for the liminal to agree with her.

''Well, living here in Japan has been rather enjoyable so far, but what I really like about it is…'' Mireille trailed off as she noticed someone staring at her from Yuuto's apartment.

Kasumi had her sickles clammed around the frame of the doorway as her eye were fixated on the papillion girl outside of the apartment. Mireille was spooked by the sight of the empusa, letting out a yelp of surprise as she darted over to Hikari and hid behind her, clinging to the human's back.

''Hikari! There's someone peeping on us!'' Mireille exclaimed, trying desperately to hide herself from the empusa.

''Quit being such a scaredy-caterpillar. She probably just wants to say hi.'' The host replied in an upbeat tone.

Yuuto looked towards the empusa and furrowed his eyebrows at the girl. ''Kasumi, quit being creepy and just introduce yourself.'' He said to the shinobi in an annoyed tone, not in the mood for her antics.

Kasumi complied, and removed herself from the doorway, now standing in front of Hikari and Mireille. ''G-Greetings, I'm Kasumi Hayashi. I-I-It's nice to meet you.'' The shinobi stuttered uncharacteristically, her cheeks flushing red as she bowed to the butterfly girl hiding behind Hikari.

Mireille's cheeks also flushed red, astonished by the sight of the beautiful empusa standing before her. Kasumi looked back at her, the papillion's eye now fixated on her. Kasumi glanced away from her as her heart rate quickened, unsure of what to make of this feeling as she rubbed her sickles together and fidgeted with her hands nervously. When the shinobi glanced back, Mireille was now standing right in front of her, her blue compound eyes staring back at her curiously, as if to take in all her features.

''I'm Mireille, it's nice to meet you too.'' The papillion replied as a smile curled onto her lips.

Kasumi glanced away again, unable to keep eye contact with her. Why was she feeling nervous? She was usually unfazed by most things, but the gorgeous papillion in front of her was causing her heart to race a mile a minute. No one had made her feel like this before, not even Yuuto to her surprise, who she admired deeply, but the sight of the girl in front of her was something else entirely.

''Oh, I'm sorry.'' Mireille spoke up, feeling as if she'd upset the empusa. ''I should apologise for my reaction earlier. You just startled me, that's all.''

''No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stared at you like that.'' Kasumi replied, her fidgeting steadily increasing as she was losing her composure. ''I didn't mean anything bad by it, I just…'' She trailed off as the papillion grasped her hands and sickles in an attempt to calm her down.

''It's alright. I'm not mad at you, so don't worry.'' The papillion replied in a calming tone, locking eyes with the shinobi once more.

Kasumi was almost instantaneously put at ease by both Mireille's comforting words and the brief contact between them, her cheeks going a brighter shade of red than before. ''Thank you, you're too kind.'' The empusa said as she averted her gaze again, not noticing the smile curling onto her own lips.

As the two insectoid liminals continued to chat, Yuuto and Hikari looked on at the sight with smiles on their faces. ''Aww, they look so cute together.'' The younger sister stated, feeling warm and fuzzy from watching the pair getting along.

''Well, it's nice to see Kasumi come out of her shell for once.'' Yuuto replied. ''She could do with some friends outside of work.''

Just then, Lala and Vee both stepped out into the hallway to see what was happening, the slime girl now wearing her blue rain coat and wellington boots. Upon seeing Kasumi talking to a new girl, the orange slime ran up to the pair to introduce herself. Lala headed straight for her boyfriend and latched her arms around his.

''Me Love, what task did ye wish fer us tae undertake this day?'' The dullahan asked as a smile crossed her lips, looking up at him with loving eyes.

''Well, I didn't exactly have anything special planned, so…''

As soon as he uttered those words, Hikari leapt into action. ''Oh, I know! Why don't we go to the mall and do some shopping?! It'd give the girls a chance to get to know each other!'' Her exclamation had caught everyone off guard for a moment, and she took the chance to pull her brother from Lala's grasp, dragging him towards the staircase. ''C'mon, let's go!''

''Hey! Quit dragging me!'' Yuuto protested in vain, unable to free himself from his sister's grasp.

''Wait! What hellish plane o' existence are ye taking me Love tae?!'' Lala cried out, chasing after the pair as she did so.

''Hikari! Wait for moi!'' Mireille shouted before turning her attention back to Kasumi and Vee. ''We should go after them. There's no telling what she'll do if left to her own devices.'' The papillion continued, before she started to flap her wings and fluttered off after her host.

''Right. C'mon Vee, let's go.'' Kasumi told the slime before following after Mireille.

''Okay!'' The slime girl exclaimed, now running after the empusa.

* * *

Sometime later, Yuuto and the group found themselves in the shopping mall in one of the clothes boutiques. Once in there, Hikari went off somewhere with Lala in hand to have a 'Girl Talk' with each other, whatever that meant. This left Yuuto to look after Mireille, along with the other girls that accompanied him. As Yuuto was browsing some of the menswear, he noticed Kasumi out of the corner of his eye, peering from around the corner of one of the aisles. He then saw that she was spying on Mireille and Vee, who was currently in her adult form, as they were talking to one another. The human sighed to himself before subtly sneaking up on the unsuspecting shinobi.

''Having fun there?'' He said in a hushed tone.

This startled Kasumi, who wasn't used to being snuck up on. Before the blonde could say anything else, the empusa latched onto his arm and pulled him down till the two of them were crouching. Kasumi covered his mouth with one of her hands while she pressed a finger from her other hand against her lips.

''Sorry Senpai, but I can't afford to give my position away.'' The shinobi told the human with her eyes narrowed at him, keeping her voice low to avoid being spotted.

After a moment, Yuuto nodded at her before she removed her hand from his face. ''Kasumi, remember that whole conversation we had before about your stalking habits?'' He questioned the empusa, furrowing his eyebrows at her.

''This is merely reconnaissance.'' She replied flatly, looking away from him as she resumed her spying.

''…Whatever. Can I at least ask why?''

Though he couldn't see it, Kasumi's face went bright red as he asked her. She then hid herself again as she looked down at her sickles, which were nervously rubbing against each other. ''It's hard to explain. Since I met Mireille earlier, I've had this strange feeling in my chest. Every time I look at her, I feel it tighten, and I can't figure out why it only happens with her.''

Yuuto's eyes widened briefly before he smirked to himself, confident that he figured out what was wrong with his squad mate. ''Sounds like you have a crush on her.''

Kasumi looked back quizzically at her squad captain. ''A crush?'' She asked, not sure what he was talking about.

''Yeah, like you're infatuated with her.'' He replied, his smirk only getting bigger.

Kasumi's face went a brighter shade of red at his statement, causing her to look away from him as her sickles rubbed together at a quickened pace. ''That can't be right, she's a woman, and I'm a woman too. I still like men, but I can't deny that she's beautiful, almost stunning even. I think I'm just admiring her looks, yes, that must be it. There can't be any other- ''

''Okay, maybe you're bisexual then. Is that such a big deal?'' Yuuto asked bluntly, causing the empusa to stop in her tracks for a moment.

''I am aware that same sex relationships are a thing, and that they're frowned upon in Japan, but those sorts of relationships are also discouraged by my people, seeing that our population is so low right now. Even if I did have a 'crush' on Mireille like you said, my family and the people around me would disapprove of it, not to mention that she probably wouldn't feel the same way.'' Kasumi's head was hung low as she said this, starting to feel depressed by the situation she found herself in, but her squad captain wasn't about to allow her to let this opportunity pass her by.

''I suppose it's a good thing for you that Mireille's a lesbian then.'' He replied with a sincere smile.

Kasumi's eyes widened in surprise before looking back at the blonde agent. ''How do you know this?'' The empusa asked.

''Hikari told me. Turns out Mireille tried to hit on my sister not long after she moved in with her. It was awkward for them for a few days after Hikari turned her down, but they've gotten passed it. At the very least, Mireille seems interested in looking for a girlfriend, might be a chance for you to catch her eye.''

The young shinobi was glad to hear that the papillion would potential be interested in her, but she couldn't help but feel nervous about the situation. She went back to fidgeting with her sickles again as her nerves got the better of her again, but she was suddenly interrupted as Yuuto placed a hand on her head and began to pat it. She looked back at him as he gave her a reassuring look.

''You'll never know until you try, Kasumi.''

The empusa smiled back at him, happy that he was willing to help her out. She then stood up and bowed to him. ''Thank you, Senpai. You truly are a good friend. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a mission to accomplish.'' With that, Kasumi made her way around the corner and walked up to where Mireille and Vee were.

As she approached them, Mireille saw her from the corner of her eye and a massive smile appeared on the papillion's face. ''Hey Kasumi, I was wondering where you were hiding.'' She said jovially as she turned to face her.

''Um, yes. I was just looking for you actually.'' The empusa replied nervously, trying her best to calm herself down, but her nerves were getting the better of her again.

As the two insectoids started talking, Vee noticed Yuuto motioning her to come to her. ''I'll be back in a bit, I'm going to find Yuuto.'' The orange slime spoke up before making her leave.

''Okay, do take care, Vee.'' Mireille replied cheerily.

As the slime rounded the corner of the aisle, she wrapped herself around the human while giggling to herself. ''Hey Yuuto.'' She said with a smile on her face.

''Hey Vee, you having fun?'' He asked in a hushed tone.

''Yeah, Mireille's really fun to talk to. Why did you call me over, and why are you being quiet?'' Vee asked, keeping her voice low too.

Yuuto peeked around the corner again, along with Vee, to check on the two insectoid liminals. ''I just thought that Kasumi and Mireille could do with some alone time.''

As they were spying on the pair, they saw Kasumi fidgeting with her sickles with a massive blush on her cheeks, while Mireille was listening intently to what the empusa was saying to her. They couldn't quite hear what they were talking about, but the human figured that Kasumi was at least attempting to tell the papillion that she liked her. After a moment, a massive smile and a light blush appeared on Mireille's face, who then excitedly grasped Kasumi's sickles and hands, obviously overjoyed by what she'd been told. Kasumi averted her gaze from the papillion for a moment, but Yuuto could see a barely noticeable smile appear on her face. Before long, Mireille began guiding the empusa down one of the aisles until the pair was out of sight.

''I guess that went well.'' Yuuto muttered to himself as a sincere smile crossed his lips, proud that his empusa squad mate was able to pluck up the courage to admit her feelings to someone, something he couldn't imagine the reclusive shinobi doing before.

''They looked at each other like you and Lala do.'' Vee added.

''I guess so. Speaking of Lala, where did she and Hikari get off to?''

As if on cue, the little sister in question appeared out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing herself against his back. ''Hey Yuu-nii!'' She exclaimed joyfully, nuzzling her cheek against his back.

''Speak of the devil…'' Yuuto replied looking back at her, looking unimpressed by his sibling's clinginess.

''Quit being such a sour puss already.'' Hikari replied while pouting at him. ''Anyway, what are you and Vee up to?''

''Oh, nothing much.'' Freeing himself from her grasp, he looked around to see if Lala was with her, but the dullahan was nowhere to be found. ''What have you done with my girlfriend?'' He questioned her, his annoyance evident in his voice.

''That's why I came to find you.'' She replied with a mischievous grin on her face, before grabbing her brother by the wrist, now forcing him to follow her. ''C'mon, let's go!''

''Hey! Cool it will you?!'' Yuuto protested, while Vee silently followed the pair.

Before long, the trio arrived in front of one of the changing rooms in the store. Hikari let go of her brother's wrist before twirling around to face him, her face now plastered with a look of innocence.

''She's in here, and I think you'll like what you're going to see.''

''H-Hikari, I believe this outfit does nay befit a Spectre o' Death.'' Lala said in an embarrassed tone from within the changing cubicle.

''Oh, c'mon Lala. I bet it looks cute on you, plus Yuu-nii wants to see it.'' The blonde woman replied, trying to entice the dullahan into showing off what she had changed into.

''W-W-What?! Me Love is with ye?!'' The young reaper exclaimed in surprise.

Yuuto smiled to himself at how adorable Lala was acting right now at the mere mentioning of his name. ''It's okay Lala. I'm sure it'll look good on you.''

''…Promise ye will nay laugh?'' Lala asked nervously.

''Promise.''

''C'mon, just show us already!'' Hikari exclaimed excitedly.

''Yeah, show us!'' Vee added with the same enthusiasm.

After a moment's hesitation, the young dullahan drew the curtain to one side and stepped out of the cubicle. She was wearing a sleeveless black blouse with a turtleneck, a red plaid skirt with the hem reaching half way down her thighs, a pair of black knee socks which were shorter than the stockings she was used to wearing, and a pair of black short heeled ankle boots. Lala stood there with her arms crossed in front of her and her cheeks bright red as she gazed at the floor, feeling embarrassed about exposing so much skin compared to what she was comfortable with. Yuuto stared at her for what felt like an eternity with his mouth slightly agape, his own cheeks going red as he was bewitched by her beauty.

''Wow, you look great Lala.'' He muttered out loud, causing the dullahan to lock her now widened eyes with his.

''D-Do ye really think so? I-I-I canna say that I am used tae revealing so much o' me physical being tae anyone.'' Lala replied, quickly averting her gaze, only to look straight back at her boyfriend.

Yuuto's face softened as a sincere smile crossed his lips, his eyes now half lidded as he admired his girlfriend. ''Of course, I do. To be honest though, I think you'd look great in anything.''

Lala smiled at the compliment, before she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his chest, resting her head in the crook of his neck. ''I'm glad ye think so, me Love. I was worried ye would think this attire would be unlike meself.'' She replied while nuzzling against him.

He wrapped and arm around her waist and place his free hand on the back of her head comfortingly. ''It's not that much different from what you normally wear, though it's kind of weird not seeing you wear your scarf.'' Yuuto joked, now gently stroking her hair.

''See, I told you you'd love it.'' Hikari boasted, striking a victorious pose.

Lala lifted her head and turned to face the blonde woman. ''Thank ye fer yer assistance, Hikari, and fer the knowledge ye have gleamed tae me.''

''Wait, what?'' Yuuto spoke up as he quirked an eyebrow at her, only to have the dullahan press a finger to his lips.

''Do nay worry, Yuuto. I will guard yer secrets with me very being.'' Lala replied, staring lovingly into his eyes.

''Hikari, what the hell did you tell her?'' He asked his sister, staring daggers at her.

''It's a secret.'' Hikari replied, flashing him a mischievous grin and a wink.

Just as he was about to press her on the matter, Kasumi and Mireille showed up with a number of outfits in their hands, and the papillion quickly took notice of Yuuto and Lala clinging to one another. ''Ooh la la. I do hope we aren't interrupting anything.'' She said in a suggestive manner, placing a free hand over her mouth in mock shock.

''This is nothing unusual for them, they're practically inseparable.'' Kasumi answered flatly, unsurprised by the site before them.

''Well, looks like you two have been busy.'' Yuuto said, giving the empusa a cheeky grin.

''Um, yes, we have.'' She replied as her cheeks went red and a smile crept onto her lips.

''Oui, I just can't wait to see how Kasumi looks in all these outfits.'' Mireille added before grabbing the shinobi by the sickle and dragging her towards one of the free cubicles, ready to treat her new friend like a dress up doll. ''C'mon, let me help you change!'' She exclaimed excitedly as her own cheeks went red.

''Um, Hikari…'' Yuuto said in a worried tone before being interrupted by his sister.

''Yeah, Mireille's a bit of a perv, but I'm sure Kasumi will be fine. She's probably looking forward to it if I'm not mistaken.'' The blonde woman replied as another mischievous grin appeared on her face.

''Looks that way.''

''Yuuto,'' Lala spoke up, grabbing his attention. ''I'll be changing back in tae me usual attire, but I wish tae acquire these new garbs, seeing ye enjoyed the sight o' me dawning them.'' She added, her usually blue cheeks turning a faint shade of crimson.

''Sure, I'll see you in a bit.'' He replied, smiling back at her.

The dullahan quickly peck him on the cheek before making her way back to the changing room. While Yuuto was smirking to himself, Hikari grabbed him by the arm for the umpteenth time that day and started dragging him further into the store.

''Hey! What're you doing?!'' The blonde agent protested, but his efforts were in vain.

''While the girls are doing that, let's go find something for you. Think it's about time for a wardrobe change.'' Hikari replied in an innocent manner, before turning her attention to the orange slime girl. ''Hey Vee! Can you help me find and outfit for Yuu-nii?!''

''Okay!'' Vee yelled excitedly as she followed behind the pair.

''Seriously, I can walk on my own!''

* * *

Fuchū Prison, the largest prison in Japan. This was the current home for one Gaku Takahashi, the former Yakuza who was responsible for the attempted robbery of the Metropolitan bank. His trial had been swift, and now he was serving a twenty-year jail sentence, all because of a certain blonde MON agent. The cell he resided in was small and cramp, only being a ten-foot by ten-foot cubicle which had a small bed and a personal toilet and sink. The man was pacing from one side of the room to the other as he replayed the memory of his fight with the MON agent in his mind, of how he denied him his only means of escape, how cocky and confident the boy was, and how he had made a fool of him in the following confrontation. The anger welled up inside him as he was forced to replay the encounter in his mind over and over until he couldn't contain his anger any longer. He walked up to the mirror before punching it as hard as her could as he let out a furious roar, causing the mirror to crack. He retracted his fist to find small shards of the mirror imbedded in his fingers and knuckles, but he didn't care. He was so filled with rage at this point that he was now numb to the pain, though he would probably regret it later.

''That little punk will pay once I get out of here, even if it's the last thing I do!'' He shouted to himself in an attempt to relieve himself of his current tension, but it did little to help. ''I'd do anything to get a chance to torture the bastard!''

'' _Well, that can be arranged.''_

Gaku suddenly heard a mysterious voice from out of nowhere, though it sounded otherworldly. He frantically looked around his cell, though he couldn't locate the source. Was he already going mad? He hadn't been in his cell for even a month, yet it felt like his mind was already playing tricks on him.

'' _No need to panic, Takahashi. You are still perfectly sane, though your temper could use some work.''_ The voice spoke again, as if reading his thoughts.

''How the fuck did you know my-?!'' Takahashi exclaimed before being interrupted by the hidden stranger.

'' _Oh, I've been observing you for some time now, since your incarceration in fact. And I must say, you are quite the interesting individual, and you may be some use to me.''_ The voice repliedwith a hint of self-assurance.

''Who, in the fuck, are you?''

'' _Oh, me? I am sure you have heard stories of the supernatural, stories of ethereal beings, ghosts if you will. Consider me a lost soul with a need for vengeance, vengeance that would benefit you by sheer coincidence. Despite my current state of being, I believe we have similar goals.''_

Gaku was thrown threw a loop by what the supposed spirit had told him. Was he just imagining all this, and if he wasn't, could he trust this 'being' in the slightest? He mulled over his options for a moment, those being either to stay and rot in prison, or to hear how he could benefit from the spirit's vendetta.

''How can you help me exactly, Spirit?'' Takahashi asked, very much doubting the capabilities of the ethereal being.

The spirit scoffed at him for even showing an ounce of disbelief. _''Believe it or not, I can get you out of here, and I can help you settle this grudge of yours. All I ask in return is a favour from yourself, Takahashi.''_ He replied with a hint of menace in his voice.

''And what would you ask of me?'' The mortal asked, now more curious of this offer of help, despite how slim his chance of escape could be.

'' _All I require,''_ The disembodied voice started as his tone grew darker. _''is a vessel…''_

Before Gaku could react to the voice's statement, a sudden shooting pain shot through his skull. He grasped hard at his bald cranium as the pain grew more severe, but his efforts were in vain. It felt like his head was being torn apart as he collapsed to the ground, still clutching at his head. He let out a scream of agony as the pain intensified, sending his mind reeling.

''WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!''

'' _Calm yourself, it'll be over soon enough.''_ The spirit replied in a calm manner, though this didn't help Gaku in the slightest.

Takahashi let out another blood-curdling scream before silence filled the room once more. Out of nowhere, his body was now being slowly covered by a mysterious blue aura, the origins of which were unknown. Soon, the man got up onto his knees, hunched over as the aura intensified around him. After a moment, he raised his head and opened his eyes, his once brown eyes now swathed in a glowing blue hue. As he spoke, his voice was now mingled with that of the spirit's, the ethereal being evidently in control now.

''Soon, we will have our revenge, Kazama…''

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the delay again. It's always a pain when you know what you want to happen, but then you struggle putting it into words, but regardless, here's the new chapter. Yes, the imouto has finally shown herself, along with her homestay, Mireille (which is pronounced Mee-Ray if you were curious, it's a french name meaning 'to admire' which I think suits her). Also I wanted to start pairing off some of the MON girls, though not all of them, and I wanted at least on lesbian couple, and I felt Kasumi would be the best fit, so look forward to some possible Kasumi x Mireille on the side in the near future. Wanted to bring Gaku Takahashi back for a while now, though Yuuto's next confrontation with the former Yakuza won't be for a while yet, and the whole spirit thing will make itself clear in the future as well. This'll be the last chapter for 2017, so expect the next one possibly early in January of next year. Hope you've all been enjoying the story so far, and don't forget to follow and favourite if you haven't already, and feel free to leave a review or any suggestions as well. Hope you all have a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year too. See you all in 2018!


	25. A Hellhound's Burning Desire

It was Monday morning, and Yuuto was waiting outside the local train station for his date for the day, Blare. It was the height of summer, and the train station was bustling with both humans and liminals, whether they were couples, families, or just people going about their everyday lives. The blonde agent had made plans for them to go to the nearby amusement park, though he wanted to keep it a surprise for her for the time being. He remembered how excited she was for the date on their run this morning, but after he said he wanted to keep their destination a surprise, her anticipation sky rocketed, and she wouldn't stop pestering him about where they were going. Yuuto did enjoy the hellhound's company, though her excitableness could be too much to bare at times. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he pulled his phone from his pocket to check the time. It was currently 10:07AM.

'' _Where is hell is she? We agreed to meet up here at ten.''_ The blonde agent thought to himself as he started to worry about his squad mate's whereabouts.

''HEY! STUD!''

Yuuto looked up from his phone to where the shouting was coming from. Surely enough, it was Blare, who had a massive grin on her face, running towards him through the crowds as fast as her paws could carry her, waving a hand at him excitedly as her flame lashes burnt fiercely from the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a grey tank top under a black hoodie with the sleeves rolled up, a pair of denim shorts, and a studded choker around her neck. Her outfit wasn't that much different from his, as he was wearing a white t-shirt under his burgundy hoodie with the sleeves rolled up, a pair of loose blue jeans, brown trainers, and his black leather fingerless gloves.

''Hey Blare.'' Yuuto replied, waving a hand back at her.

As the hellhound neared him, he noticed that she wasn't slowing down at all, but by the time he realised that, Blare had leapt at him and tackled him to the ground with a massive hug. The human landed on his back and groaned in pain as his squad mate nuzzled her cheek against his chest affectionately.

'' _Okay, this whole getting tackled trend is starting to get annoying…''_ He complained to himself internally as he tried to sit up straight with Blare still on top of him.

As he propped himself up on his elbows, Blare stopped her nuzzling and looked up at the blonde with her cheeks now bright red and her grin still present. ''Sorry I'm late. I wanted to make sure I looked my best for our date.'' She said with her tail wagging frantically and her flames lashes burning.

Yuuto looked down at the excitable hellhound and furrowed his eyebrows at her. ''Okay, that's fine, but do you mind getting off of me? I think we're causing a scene.'' He asked, his own cheeks going red from the compromising position they found themselves in.

Blare looked around her at his prodding, and noticed that a large number of people were staring at the pair, many of which were making comments about them to one another.

''Did you see that? That girl's practically all over him. Lucky bastard…'' One young man commented, feeling very jealous.

''You'd think she'd have more self-control in public. It sets a bad image for the rest of us.'' A werecat woman said out loud, unimpressed by what the pair were doing.

''Ah, young love. Makes me wish I was sixty years younger again.'' An elderly gentleman added as he was passing by.

''Damn, I knew I should've signed up for the exchange program…'' Another young man muttered to himself.

Blare's eyes widened as she was hit with a wall of embarrassment before she got off of Yuuto and shot up to her paws. ''Oh, sorry Stud!'' She started as she waved her hands apologetically at him. ''I got a bit too excited! Here let me help you up!'' She continued as she extended a padded hand towards him.

Yuuto looked up at her for a moment before he sighed to himself and grabbed her hand, now smiling back at her. The hellhound pulled him up to his feet with great ease as she smiled back at him, her cheeks turning a brighter shade of red as she did so.

''So, are you going to tell me where we're going now, or do I have to coax it out of you?'' Blare teased in a seductive tone, winking at his suggestively.

''You haven't caught on to how surprises work yet, have you?'' Yuuto replied teasingly with a grin as he started making his way to the train station without her.

''Aww, c'mon Stud! Just tell me already!'' She shouted as she caught up with him, wrapping her arms around his and trapping it in between her cleavage.

''You'll just have to wait and see, Blare. I promise it'll be worth it.'' The blonde said as a sincere smile crossed his lips.

Blare paused for a moment as she pouted at him, before sighing to herself, admitting defeat. ''Fine, but you'd better treat me big time when we finally get there, got it?''

''Deal.'' Yuuto answered back before chuckling to himself over how his squad mate was acting.

As the pair made their way to the train station, a certain blue-skinned woman was watching them, hidden around the corner of one of the nearby building. Lala was wearing a black jacket with a white button up shirt underneath and a black skirt, as well as her black scarf, corset, thigh-high stockings, and a pair of black ankle boots. She glared at the pair enviously as they walked off together arm in arm, wishing she was the one currently clinging to Yuuto.

'' _I know I can trust me Love tae stay faithful tae me, but I canna take me eyes off the guardian o' the underworld fer one second.''_ The dullahan worried to herself internally, her jealousy growing by the second. _''She may have relented to the fact that I'm Yuuto's chosen lover, but it is plain as day that she does nay wish tae surrender her desires fer him. Why must the Organization test me patience as they force me Love tae undergo such hardships? As vexing as it may be, this is all fer the sake o' our inevitable union, so I must endure. But fer now, I must make sure his comrades do nay lead him astray fer their own desires, whatever the cost.''_

''Err, excuse me, Miss?'' The voice of a man spoke from behind her.

Lala flinched for a moment before turning to face the stranger that had snuck up behind her. She saw a police officer with short black hair with a bicycle held to his side, looking at her with nervous eyes that also held great suspicion.

''Are you by chance an interspecies exchange student, and if so, where is your host family?'' The bicycle cop asked.

At his prodding, Lala immediately shifted into her reaper persona and placed a hand over her face. ''Do nay fear me, Mortal, fer I am a Knight o' Death, and I am on a mission tae-!''

''I'm sorry, Miss, but I must ask to see your ID, otherwise you'll have to come with me.'' The officer interrupted as his tone grew more serious.

Lala was in a bind. She had to make sure she didn't lose sight of Yuuto and Blare, but she could scarcely afford to get in trouble with the police officer in front of her. She had to find a means of escape, otherwise she could risk losing her place in the program and possibly get deported from Japan, with a real possibility of never seeing Yuuto again. With that in mind, she mustered all her courage, and did something she thought she could never do. Lie to the police. It couldn't be any lie though, it had to be one that would distract the bicycle cop's attention away from her, long enough for her to make a getaway, so she came up with the most disastrous, but plausible scenario she could think of, well, in her mind it was plausible.

''By the Gods! The Crimson Dragon o' Oblivion has come tae steal that woman's treasures!'' She shouted overdramatically in mock horror, pointing directly behind the officer. She had no idea if he would believe her or not, but by some sheer miracle, the officer spun around immediately in a panic.

''Vera! How many times have I told you not to take other people's belongings?! They might be shiny, but that's no reason to-!''

The bicycle cop stopped mid-sentence as he realised that the person he thought was there was nowhere to be seen. He was expecting to see a red scaled, pink haired wyvern girl trying to take something shiny home with her, but all he saw was a group of people staring at him in confusion. Realising that he had been fooled, he immediately turned back to face the dullahan.

''Miss, it's a criminal offence to lie to… eh?'' He was left dumbfounded as the blue skinned girl he was confronting earlier had disappeared, and had probably made her escape while he was distracted. ''Where did she go?'' He asked himself, looking around frantically for her, but his efforts were in vain. Lala was long gone, and she had a quest to fulfil, a quest to protect her boyfriend from the temptations of a certain guard dog of Hades.

* * *

Sometime later, Yuuto and Blare found themselves standing in front of the amusement park, and the hellhound couldn't help but stare in awe at the sight in front of her. There were hordes of people entering the park, ready do enjoy a day filled with fun and excitement.

''Well, was it worth it?'' Yuuto asked with a cheesy grin as Blare continued to marvel at the park's entrance.

''OH MY GOD I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO TO OKALAND!'' She yelled out of pure joy before she wrapped her arms around the blonde and nuzzled her cheek against his excitedly. ''THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!''

Yuuto could understand why she was so excited, but the park itself wasn't anything special. It was like any other amusement park, the only difference being that it's mascot was an anthropomorphised green hermit crab called Oka-kun. An odd choice, but the kids loved him.

''Hey, it's alright. Let's just get in already, no point wasting time out here.''

''No need to tell me twice!'' The hellhound replied before she grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the park's entrance. ''C'mon, let's go!''

''Hey, calm down a sec, will you?!'' The blonde exclaimed in annoyance. ''We need to get tickets first!''

As the day went by, Yuuto and Blare had gone on as many rides as they could, starting with the roller coaster, aptly named the Blitzkrieg. The queue for is was massive, but the wait had been worth it. They sat themselves in in the front carriage and locked their harnesses in place, and once everyone else on the ride had done the same, the carriages started moving as it was now ascending the tracks.

As they were ascending, Yuuto looked towards Blare who was sitting right next to him, and noticed she was giddy with anticipation. ''Hey Blare, is this your first time on a roller coaster?'' The human asked as he smiled at her.

''This is my first time going to a theme park, period!'' She replied ecstatically, her flame lashes burning brightly. ''So yeah, I'm hella stoked right now!''

As the carriage reached the peak of it's ascent, Yuuto looked away from the hellhound and gripped onto the harness tightly. ''Well, you'd better brace yourself. It's going to be a bumpy ride.''

''Oh, c'mon Stud. I bet it isn't anything I can't handAAAAAAHHHH!''

The carriage started speeding down the steep descent along the track, racing around tight corners and flying through the loop the loops. Yuuto looked back towards Blare to see how she was coping, but saw she had her hands raised in the air, screaming with joy and excitement with a massive grin on her face as the wind rushed through her hair and across her cropped ears.

''HOLY CRAP! THIS IS AWESOME!'' She exclaimed excitedly, clearly enjoying herself.

The blonde smiled to himself, happy to see that his date was having the time of her life. ''This is just the first ride! Wait till we try out the others!'' He shouted in reply so she could hear him.

''THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST DAY EVER! WOOOOOOOO!''

The ride came to an end, and the pair made their way off to find the next ride to go on. Blare was still buzzing from the rush of adrenaline as she hurriedly dragged Yuuto towards the next ride.

''Okay, let's go on the Helldiver next! Ooh, and after that, we can try the Tidal Tirade! And we can't miss out on-!''

''Blare, calm down a sec, will you?'' Yuuto interrupted her, causing the pair to stop momentarily, and the hellhound to look back at him quizzically. ''I know you're enjoying yourself, but at this rate, you'll yank my arm from it's socket.'' He pleaded, feeling it was a real possibility.

Blare stared at him for a moment in silence before letting go of his hand, holding her arms behind her back as she gave him an apologetic look. ''Oh, sorry Stud. I was just so excited that I wasn't thinking straight.'' She replied with an innocent smile on her lips as her crimson tail wagged from side to side at a leisurely pace and her flame lashes ignited gently from the corners of her eyes.

''Don't worry, it's fine.'' The blonde replied with a smile of his own as he rolled his arm around in a circular motion to make sure it was alright.

While they were talking, they noticed that the park's mascot was standing to the side of them, taking a keen interest in them. The person dressed up as Oka-kun was wearing a white t-shirt, blue trousers with black braces strapped over the shoulders, and a pair of oversized brown shoes. The arms of the costume were green, and ended in large Styrofoam pincers, and the person was wearing a piece of head gear shaped to look like the face of a hermit crab with a large cone shell on top of its head.

''Hey, it's Oka-kun!'' Blare exclaimed excitedly before she frantically pulled out her phone and gave it to Yuuto. ''Stud, take a picture of us!'' She continued as she wrapped an arm around the mascot and posed herself doing the peace sign.

The poor person in the Oka-kun costume was frozen in place like a deer in the headlights as the hellhound practically glued herself to their side, too nervous to move.

Yuuto fiddled with Blare's phone until he found the camera function, before pointing it at the pair. ''Alright, say cheese.''

Blare did so, and the blonde took the picture with the flash going off on the phone. With that, the hellhound separated herself from the mascot and made her way to Yuuto's side once more to look at the photo he just took.

''It looks great.'' She said with a joyous smile before taking her phone back. ''I'm definitely making that my screensaver.'' She then pocketed her phone and returned her attention to the mascot, now waving an arm at them. ''Thanks for the photo, Oka-kun!'' She exclaimed before she grabbed her date by the wrist and started dragging him towards the next ride. ''C'mon, Stud! We're burning daylight here!''

''Alright, I'm coming.'' He replied, before turning his attention towards the mascot himself as he was being dragged away. ''Thanks again.'' He said with a wave of the hand.

Once the human and hellhound couple were far enough away, the mascot started walking after them, still fixated on the pair.

* * *

Next was the Helldiver, and the pair braced themselves for what would be one of the highest drops in Japan. As they were lifted to the top of the tower, Yuuto was suddenly having second thoughts. Blare looked over to him from her seat to notice that his face had gone pale.

''C'mon Stud, don't tell me that you're afraid of heights now.'' The hellhound teased with a massive grin on her face.

''It's not that I'm afraid of heights, I just don't like the feeling of negative-G I get from the drop.'' He replied weakly while avoiding eye contact with her.

''Don't be such a wuss. It can't be that bad.''

Suddenly, an automated voice came through from the speakers on the ride. ''Dropping in three, two, one. Bye-bye.''

''HOLY CRAAAAAAAAAAAAP!'' It was safe to say that Blare wasn't prepared for the negative-G from the drop.

After they got off, they headed for the Tidal Tirade. Yuuto and Blare were at the front of the ride again, and the blonde agent was wise enough to buy himself a cheap raincoat at the entrance of the ride. Blare however did not follow his example, not wanting to waste any money where it could be avoided, though she would soon regret that decision.

''You sure it was a good idea not to get a raincoat?'' Yuuto asked the hellhound with a slight smirk on his face, already envisioning what would happen to his poor squad mate.

''I'll be fine, a little water never hurt anyone.'' The hellhound replied confidently.

''Well, we'll see about that.'' He muttered to himself as he pulled the hood of the raincoat over his head.

As they reached the peak of the ride just before the drop, Blare's eyes widened as she realised just how much water they'd splash into on the way down. She looked back at Yuuto with a look of worry, only to see his face partially cover by the hood of his raincoat, just able to make out the sinister grin on his face.

''Stud! You told me it'd only be a little splAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!''

The log went speeding down the drop before hitting the water with a massive splash, drenching all the passengers. Once all was calm, Yuuto raised his head and took his hood off to see the state that Blare was in. Unsurprisingly, what he found was the poor hellhound staring at him with a deadpan look on her face, totally drenched from the head down. The blonde was now struggling to stifle his laughter as she was now furrowing her eyebrows at him.

''Pffft! Sorry, I didn't realise the drowned rat look was in right now.'' She said out loud as he was now laughing to himself.

''NOT FUNNY STUD!'' She shouted back at him in annoyance before shaking herself dry like a dog.

Despite her complaint, this didn't deter the blonde from his laughing fit.

* * *

Not long after, the pair got themselves dried off before going to get something to eat. Yuuto had gone to get some crepes while Blare sat at a free table after taking her hoodie off, letting her pitch black and crimson fur dry in the warm summer air. As she sat there in silence, she thought about what kind of person her squad captain was to her. Blare both admired and respected the blonde agent in many aspects, from his courageous attitude, to his humorous nature, and he was smart enough to be a hacker, which was impressive enough for her. But what stood out the most about him was how kind-hearted he was. Despite what situation he was in, he'd always put the people he cared about before himself, even if it meant putting himself in harms way, and that's what the hellhound loved most about him. She smiled to herself and a blush appeared on her cheeks as the thought crossed her mind, but her smile dropped as she'd remember the fact that he already had a girlfriend he cared deeply about. Blare felt conflicted, she wanted Yuuto to be happy, but at the same time, she wanted to be with him so badly that she'd do anything to have him. She hung her head in shame as she felt guilty for even thinking about the possibility of breaking Yuuto and Lala up for her own happiness, but her love and admiration for him was so strong, it was hard to repress at times.

''I'm back!'' The blonde agent called out to her with a crepe in each hand.

Blare shot up straight at the sound of his voice, and she turned to him with a grin on her face as she eyed up the crepes in his hands, her tail now wagging furiously and her flame lashes igniting from the corners of her eyes. ''Hey, took you long enough!'' She teased him, now in a better mood with her crush now being present.

''Sorry, the queue was massive, plus crepes are pretty popular this time of year.'' He apologised with an embarrassed smile as he approached the hellhound, handing the girl her crepe as he reached her. ''One strawberry and whipped cream crepe for the lady.'' He teased in a bad posh-British accent, which caused Blare to giggle in amusement.

''Why thank you, kind sir.'' She replied in an equally bad posh accent as she took the crepe from him, before biting into the creamy treat. ''Mmm, this is pretty good.''

''Glad you like it.'' Yuuto said as he took a seat opposite her. ''Nice to see it's worth the hefty price they charge here.'' He added as he let out a defeated sigh.

''Yeah, it sucks that the food here is so expensive.'' The hellhound responded before stuffing her face with her crepe again, obviously enjoying it. ''What flavour did you get?'' She asked after swallowing her mouth-full of crepe.

''Chocolate. Simple, but enjoyable.'' Yuuto replied before taking a bite from his own crepe. ''Damn, so good.''

Blare merely smiled at him as her cheeks went red again, happy to see her squad captain enjoying himself, despite the fact that he had been practically forced to go on a date with her. Yuuto looked up from his crepe to see her stare longingly at him. He knew that she felt strongly about him, that much was certain, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for her, knowing he couldn't make her happy in the way she wanted him to. He couldn't exactly bring himself to cheat on Lala, not after what he and the young dullahan had been through. He had to say something. He couldn't let this situation between him and Blare continue on like this, not just for his and Lala's sake, but for the hellhound's sake too.

''Blare. Listen, I…''

''HEY, OKA-KUN!''

Yuuto and Blare turned to see where the shouting was coming from. They saw the mascot from before being mobbed by a group of young children, all clambering to get Oka-kun's attention. The mascot in question looked like they were panicking from being surrounded by a hoard of kids. Blare giggled at the adorable sight, while Yuuto let out a frustrated sigh to himself, annoyed that his conversation with his squad mate was interrupted.

''Looks like the guy can't handle kids very well.'' Blare commented as she tried to stifle her laughter.

''Then why get a job as a theme park's mascot?'' the blonde asked in an annoyed tone, to which the hellhound started laughing again.

''Maybe they were desperate for money.'' She answered once she had calmed down enough, taking a deep breath to recompose herself. She then finished off the rest of her crepe in a single bite, wiping off the excess cream off her cheek with the back of her hand. ''Thanks for the snack, Stud. Let's go to one of the calmer rides once you're done with yours.'' She added, giving him a massive grin.

''Okay, sure.'' He replied with a smile before taking another bite from his crepe.

''And then after that, I wanted to check out the haunted house too.''

''Alright, just don't blame me when you get scared shitless.'' Yuuto said with a slight snicker.

Blare furrowed her eyebrows at him, though she wouldn't mind getting scared. At the very least she'd have an excuse to cling to him without the human making a big deal out of it.

Once he was done with his crepe, he wiped him mouth clean and stood to his feet. ''Ready when you are, Trouble.'' Yuuto said looking down at the hellhound with a cheesy grin on his face.

Blare eyes widened in surprise, not expecting him to call her by a nickname. She was happy though, despite their current situation, at least they were close enough in his eyes to start calling her by a nickname. Her eyes went half-lidded and she gave him a wry smile as flames slowly simmered from the corners of her eyes.

''Oh, is that a nickname I hear? I feel so honoured.'' She teased as she stood to her paws, bumping her shoulder against Yuuto's as she did so.

''Well, I think it suits you down to a T.'' He replied jokingly before he started heading off towards one of the more family oriented rides in the park. ''C'mon, we might as well make the most of our time here.''

''Yes Sir!'' She replied mockingly with a salute before running to his side and wrapping an arm around his, wishing to follow his instructions to the letter.

As the pair walked off, Oka-kun jumped his way out of the hoard of children he was surrounded by, and made a timely escape. Once in hiding, the mascot pulled the head gear from their shoulders, revealing a headless neck with a black scarf wrapped around it. They then pulled the Styrofoam pincers from their hands to reveal blue-skinned hands. They placed an arm inside the head gear, and fished out Lala's head, which she promptly placed back on her shoulders.

'' _This plan tae stay hidden in plain sight has failed astoundingly in one aspect, but it seems that me Love and Blare are unaware o' me presence. The youths o' the mortal coil are far more o' a hindrance then I had anticipated.''_ The young dullahan thought to herself as she made sure her head was on right. _''Fer now, I must keep me distance from them, but I must make sure she does nay try tae seduce him. I can sense the tension between them, and I fear she may act upon her instincts soon. Please stay strong, Yuuto.''_

With that, she took off the costume, now revealing her usual outfit, and started making her way after the human and hellhound pair from a distance, hoping that her fears didn't come to fruition.

* * *

After going on some of the calmer rides, such as the flying scooters and the carousel, Yuuto and Blare started making their way to the park's haunted house, simply called the Quarantine Zone. It was modelled after a zombie apocalypse scenario, and took you through an urban sprawl, filled to the brim with the undead. Some people initially feared this would be racially insensitive to zombies and their sub-species, but to the surprise of the general populace, they thought it was great, some of the people working at the attraction being undead themselves, or at least looked the part. As the pair made their way to the front entrance, Yuuto looked up at the sign with a slight snicker.

''It's kind of a shame really, Zee would've loved to have come here.'' He said to himself with a smug look on his face. ''Besides, with all the time I've spent with Zee and Doppel, this place will hardly faze me.''

''Oh, feeling confident, are we?'' Blare teased before leaning in to whisper in his ear. ''If you get scared, it's alright if you cling to me. I don't mind.'' She continued as she spoke in a sultry tone, to which the blonde blushed at.

''We'll see who pisses themselves first. The loser has to buy drinks.'' The human boasted as he stepped away from the flirtatious hellhound, making his way inside the attraction.

''You're on!'' She yelled back as she caught up to him.

Once they were inside, they found themselves walking down a dark deserted corridor, the interior of which looked like a hospital ward, with paint flaking off the wall and blood stains splattered everywhere. As they made their way through, Blare was holding onto Yuuto's hand tightly, feeling slightly unnerved by her surroundings. This didn't escape the human's notice.

''What happened to all that bravado from earlier?'' The blonde teased with a smug look on his face.

''Just keeping quiet just so I don't spook you too soon.'' She replied with a wry smile. ''This place isn't even as bad as I thought it'd be.'' She continued, now looking away from him.

''Then why are you shaking?''

''I'm not shaking!'' She shouted back in an embarrassed tone. ''I'm just-!''

Suddenly from one of the rooms to the side, a woman in a tattered nurse's outfit, covered with cuts and dried blood jump out at them, wailing like a banshee.

''KYAAAAAAAAA!'' Blare screamed from the top of her lungs and latched herself around Yuuto's chest instinctively.

'' _Well, looks like I won our bet, though it's better if I don't tell her that until after we get out.''_ He thought to himself as he wrapped his arms around the hellhound comfortingly. ''Hey, it's okay. It's just an act, remember?''

''She caught me off guard, that's all! This doesn't count!'' She protested, clinging to him tighter.

''Alright, alright. Let's just move on for now.'' He replied as he escorted her further down the corridor.

''Seriously though, this place gives me the creeps. It even smells like blood in here.'' Blare said, only slightly loosening her grip on her squad captain.

''That's some serious attention to detail, though I doubt they used actually blood for that, at least I hope not.''

''Seriously Stud, how did you not get freaked out back there.'' The hellhound asked, looking up at him in amazement.''

''Well, when you hang out with a zombie for so long, stuff like this is hardly a big deal anymore.'' The blonde explained confidently, unsuspecting to the next scare up ahead. ''To be fair, I don't blame you for- ''

From the other side of the glass panel he was walking past, what looked like the rotting corpse of a circus clown slammed his face against the panel with a loud thud. The clown let out a maniacal laugh, baring his fanged teeth at the pair.

''AAAAAAHHHHHH!''

Yuuto almost leapt out of his skin as he jumped up and wrapped his arms around Blare's neck, landing in her arms in a princess carry. The blonde looked back at his squad mate with wide eyes, seeing that she had massive grin on her face, giving him a teasing look.

''What happened to mister strong and brave?'' Blare asked him, trying to stifle her laughter.

''That was a cheap jump scare and you know it!'' He yelled in reply as he jumped back down from her grasp, embarrassed about what just happened.

''Aww, it's okay. You're safe with miss big bad hellhound here.'' She replied in a cutesy tone, before laughing to herself again.

Yuuto let out a defeated sigh as he tried to calm himself down. ''C'mon, let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps.'' He said as he raised a hand to her, to which she responded by wrapping her arms around his and nestled it in between her cleavage.

''Agreed.'' Blare replied, giving him a sincere smile. ''How much time do we have left?''

''Long enough for one more ride.'' He replied, returning the smile. ''What do you want to do?''

''Can we go on the Ferris wheel? Seems like the best thing to finish the day off with.'' She replied, now nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder.

''Sure, sounds great after this place.''

With that, the pair walked down the corridor towards the exit, though at a quicker pace than they anticipated, desperate to get out of the haunted house. Not far behind them, another couple were making their way through with an amused look on their faces. They comprised of a pale-skinned man with dirty blonde hair and equally scruffy facial hair, and a tanned woman with bleach blonde hair tied back in a large bun.

''Man, this place is a shit show! I hear they have real zombies in here!'' The man exclaimed in a harsh tone.

''Eww, that's so gross!'' The woman replied harshly, not caring if the staff overheard them. ''I bet this is the only job they can get cause they're that gross to look at!''

The pair cackled to each other until a voice spoke from behind them.

''Excuse me, mortals.''

The pair looked back to see the head of a blue-skinned woman with long white hair, held in the arm of a headless body, with light from her phone cascading her face so she could make herself seen to them.

''Have ye seen a blonde man with a hellhound woman around here?'' Lala asked in her usual chuunibyou tone, though it did little to help in this current situation.

''AAAAHHHH!''

The pair of racist humans screamed from the top of their lungs and ran as fast as they could from the young reaper, failing to answer her question in the process.

Lala pouted to herself as she placed her head back on her shoulders. ''I only wish tae know what fate has befallen me Love and Blare…''

* * *

Sometime later, Yuuto and Blare were waiting in the queue to get onto the Ferris wheel, their last ride for the day. After a few minutes of waiting, the pair were let into their carriage and the ride attendant shut the down for them. They took their seats facing opposite each other as the wheel slowly started to turn, lifting their carriage off the ground. As they got high, Blare stared out the window in amazement as the pair saw the sun starting to set over the horizon, casting its light across Tokyo Bay. Yuuto looked back at the hellhound and saw her eyes sparkle at the sight in front of her as her tail swayed from side to side happily. He couldn't help but smile at how adorable Blare was acting right now, it seemed she was a big kid at heart.

''So, did you enjoy your date?'' He asked the hellhound, already knowing the answer to his question.

Blare looked back at him with a sincere smile on her face, her cheeks turning red as their eyes locked with one another. ''Yeah, I had a blast today.'' She replied as she turned her body to face him, before she clutched her padded hands together and held them on her lap. ''I know you were kind of forced into going out with me today, but thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.'' She continued, her smile soon taking on a sadder tone.

Yuuto raised his eyebrows at her, starting to worry about his hellhound squad mate. ''You alright, Blare?'' The blonde asked, his voice taking on a concerned tone.

Her ears pressed down against her head and her tail stopped wagging completely. She stood up and walked over to Yuuto before taking a seat right next to him. She hung her head low, contemplating what she should do next. The blonde looked on with concern at Blare's current behaviour, not sure what to do for her. He slowly raised his hand and moved it towards her shoulder, hopeful that the simple act would put her mind at ease.

''Blare, if there's something wrong, you can- ''

Before he could finish, the hellhound lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his chest tightly as his back hit the side of the carriage. He looked down at the girl again, noticing she was sobbing quietly into his chest. He sat there in silence, waiting for her to make the first move, not wanting to say anything that could upset her anymore than she was already.

Blare looked up at him with tear-stained eyes, trying her best to compose herself for what she had to say to him. _''It's now or never, Blare. He needs to know.''_ She thought to herself before she took a deep breath, ready to tell him how she felt.

''I know you already have Lala, but I need to be honest with you. Ever since we first met, you've always been so good to me. You have no idea how hard it is to find someone who doesn't get put off by the fact that I'm not even human, but you treated me just like anyone else despite that. Since then, you've continued to be kind to me, even when you would scold me. You always put a smile on my face when I feel down, and you always help me when I need it, even if I don't ask. In the short time we've known each other, you've become a very important part of my life.'' While she was saying this, she slowly loosened her grip on him, and pushed herself up till they were face to face, her hands now gripping tightly on his shirt. ''I know I'm being really selfish here, but the truth is, I love you, and it hurts that I don't get to be with you! I just… I just wish that-!''

Blare was cut short as Yuuto placed his hands on her shoulders, and slowly pushed her back as he sat up straight. Her eyes widened in surprise as she noticed the serious look on his face, his eyes staring straight at hers as if looking into her very soul.

''Blare, trust me when I say I care about you, and I do like you, but…'' He paused and took a deep breath to recompose himself. ''I'm sorry, but I can't return those same feelings to you. You are important to me, but I have something with Lala that I could never replace. I love her, and that'll never change.''

Yuuto was starting to get emotional, and Blare could easily tell that he was serious about being with Lala. She recognised that the pair clearly had a deep bond that couldn't easily be broken, and it hurt her to realised that he truly couldn't feel the same for her. Yuuto averted his gaze from the hellhound's, hanging his head low as he struggled to keep himself from crying. Before he realised it, Blare had placed a padded hand on top of his head, and ruffled his head lightly. He looked up to see her with a sad smile on her face. She then wiped the tears from her cheeks before she spoke.

''That's all I needed to hear, Stud. I'm sorry I made you go through this, but I wanted to clear things between us, and thank you for being honest with me, it means so much.'' She said before removing her hand from his head.

Yuuto smiled back at her, and finally got his feelings back in check. ''So, what happens now?'' He asked, concerned that she might start crying again at any point.

''Well, it's obvious that you're not changing you mind, so I guess I'll have to move on.'' She replied as she sat herself back in the seat properly. ''We're still friends, right?'' She asked, but she knew she had nothing to worry about, it was Stud after all.

The blonde smirked to himself as he got himself seated properly again after the emotional ordeal. ''Do you even need to ask?'' He replied, placing a hand on top of her head and started stroking her ears gently. ''As far as I'm concerned, we'll always be friends.''

The hellhound's ears perked up again and her tail wagged gently from side to side, her flame lashes quietly igniting from her eyes. She then rested her head against his shoulder and started nuzzling her cheek against it, a smile of joy crossing her lips. ''Good to know, it would've made things at work awkward otherwise.'' She then looked up at him with a carefree look on her face. ''Has anyone ever told you that you give the best ear rubs?''

''Flattery will get you nowhere, Trouble.'' He replied with a cheesy grin. ''Just don't expect me to make a habit of it.''

''I don't know about that. I could get addicted to this.''

The pair laughed in unison, enjoying the now calm atmosphere between them. They stayed like this till the ride came to an end, and they both of off the carriage. As they started to make their way out of Okaland, Yuuto glimpse to his right, and saw his girlfriend sitting on a bench by herself, a look of melancholy on her face. As if sensing his presence, the dullahan looked straight at him as her features grew softer, her dour expression replaced with one of love and joy. She got off the bench and made her way to him as fast as she could without losing her head, while the human returned the smile and walked towards her. They met in the middle and embraced each other, Lala nestling her forehead in the crook of his neck. Blare looked on with a smile on her face, happy to see them now reunited.

''I have to know; how long have you been following us?'' Yuuto chided her playfully as he stroked her hair lovingly.

Lala looked up at him with her cheek beet red, embarrassed about being called out on her stalking. ''S-Since ye and Blare gathered by the train station. I wished tae make sure that ye stayed faithful tae me, but it seems me doubts were unwarranted.'' She replied nervously, refusing to meet his gaze, though her smile never left her face.

Yuuto quickly pecked her on the cheek while no one was looking, apart from Blare, which caused the dullahan to look back at him lovingly. ''You are just too damn cute sometimes. On a serious note though, quit the stalking, it's an arrestable offence, and I don't want you getting deported. Got that?''

Lala merely pressed her lips against his, enjoying the act before separating from him as quickly as it happened. ''A Spectre o' Death is friend tae the shadows. Ye have nothing tae fear in that regard.'' She replied with a wry smile on her face.

''Hey lovebirds. Last time I checked, it illegal for the two of you to suck face in public.'' Blare teased them from the side lines with a massive grin on her face.

The pair quickly separated from each other at her remark, not wanting to risk getting into trouble.

The hellhound giggled to herself at their reaction before walking up to them. ''Relax, there's no one else around right now, so quit your worrying.''

''Thanks for the heads up, Blare.'' Yuuto said while rubbing the back of his head nervously.

''No worries, Stud.'' She replied before turning her attention to the dullahan. ''Lala, you'll be happy to know that Yuuto has officially friend-zoned me, so you can stop worrying about me digging my claws into him.''

The reaper's eyes widened in surprise at the hellhound's declaration, but it was nonetheless welcomed news to her. ''I see. Then it seems that we can truly call ourselves allies now.'' She replied with a slight nod and a smile.

''That's one less problem for me then at least.'' Yuuto muttered to himself with a sigh of relief, happy that both Blare and Lala were now being more civil with each other. ''Now, if I can repeat this with everyone else on the squad, I'm golden.''

''Easier said than done.'' Blare interjected with a cheeky grin.

''If I can pull it off with you, then everyone else will be a cakewalk.''

''Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!'' She exclaimed in annoyance.

Lala walked up to Yuuto and wrapped her arms around his. ''In any case, this is but the first step in our journey towards our eternal union, me Love.'' She said before pecking him on the cheek again.

''If everything goes without a hitch at least. If worst comes to worst, eloping is always an option.'' He replied jokingly, hoping it would never get to that stage.

''Damn, you really are serious about this, Stud.'' Blare commented from behind the couple.

''Damn straight I am.''

With that, the trio made their way out of the park, ready to head back home.

* * *

Later on, in the evening at the Oni's Tavern, Blare and Doppel were at the bar as the hellhound tried to drown her worries with a fountain of Bloody Marys. Mimi, the usagimimi waitress that worked there, decided it was a good idea to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't go comatose on her, while her boss and owner of the bar, Hisao Kaminari, who was a blue oni with short black hair, thick beard, and two black horns protruding from his head, was busy serving the other patrons at the bar.

''So, how did your date go, Pup?'' Doppel asked with a wry smile on her face as she lifted a mango cocktail with her hair to her lips.

''It went great. Stud was a really gentleman.'' Blare replied with a sad smile before taking a sip of her third glass of Bloody Mary for the evening.

''I'm sensing a big ass but here.'' The doppelganger added, circling her finger around the rim of her glass.

''Yeah, he ended up rejecting me in the end, but at least we're still friends.''

''Aww, I'm sorry to hear, Blare.'' Mimi interjected, trying her best to comfort the hellhound. ''I'm sure there's plenty of other guys out there that would love to be with someone like you.''

''Yeah, but I bet most of them are probably nothing like Stud.'' Blare replied in a dejected tone, taking a larger gulp of her drink this time.

''Well, shit happens. You just got to move on.'' Doppel said as she used several strands of hair to pat the hellhound on the back comfortingly.

Hisao was listening in intently at their conversation, and decided to step in to help the heartbroken hellhound. ''In my years working as a bartender, I've seen many people in your position, Miss. One thing I can say it that there's someone for everyone, and they might just be around the corner, so my advice is to perk up, stay strong, and look towards the future with an open heart. That's how I met my wife at least.'' The blue oni spoke with such confidence, it brought Blare a ray of hope just listening to his words.

''Aww, that's so sweet, Boss.'' Mimi said in a joyful tone.

''Thanks Blue,'' Blare replied, calling him by the name most of the regulars gave him. ''but I'll believe it when I see it.'' She continued, finishing off the rest of her drink.

As if on cue, a man with short jet-black hair and blue eyes, wearing a green button up shirt, blue jeans, and brown leather shoes, walked into the building and made his way towards the bar, stopping not too far from where Blare was. ''Hey Blue, hey Mimi. Just the usual please.'' The man spoke up in a happy mood.

''Hey Hase, one Jack Daniels and coke coming right up.'' Mimi replied cheerily before she started preparing the drink.

''Thank you kindly.'' He responded before turning his attention to Blare. ''Miss. Is this seat taken?''

Blare shook herself back into reality at his prodding, looking up at him with a polite smile. ''It's all yours, enjoy it.''

''Now this is my lucky day.'' He replied jokingly before taking his seat.

''Don't get too cocky, Hase.'' Doppel interjected, eying up human with a mischievous grin. ''She already got rejected once today, and this one bites.''

''Sorry to hear, Miss. Didn't me to intrude if ya preferred some time alone.'' Hase said to the hellhound apologetically.

''Nah, it's fine. I'll be okay.'' Blare replied, now turning to face him as she extended a hand in greeting. ''I'm Blare by the way, it's nice to meet you.

The human smiled back at her, and grasped her had with is own. ''Itaru Hase, and the pleasure is all mine.''

* * *

A/N: Well, here it is, the first chapter of 2018! I know it's been a month since I last posted, but with Christmas and New Year coming up, I wanted to take a short break so I didn't get burnt out on the story. Hopefully you enjoyed the latest chapter, and next up on the list is our resident shinobi, Kasumi. As always, follow and favourite if you enjoyed, and feel free to leave a review or any suggestions if you feel it's needed. Finally, thank you so much for reading, and stay tuned for the next installment of MON - Squad Bravo!


	26. An Empusa's Romantic Curiosity

It was early morning and Yuuto was asleep, sprawled across his bed, exhausted from his date with Blare yesterday, drained both physically and emotionally from the ordeal. In a small rubber paddling pool next to his bed, Vee was also sound asleep, splayed across the surface in a formless state.

KNOCK KNOCK

Suddenly, a knock came from the front door of the apartment, slowly stirring the human and slime pair from their slumber. Yuuto's eyes slowly flickered open, trying to make sense of the world around him, while Vee literally pulled herself together until she had changed into her child-like form. Once the blonde was fully conscious, he sat himself up straight before he checked the time on his alarm clock. It was almost 7AM.

'' _That's odd.''_ He thought to himself while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. _''It's not like Blare to let me stay in bed this late. I hope she's okay after what happened yesterday.''_

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The knocking on the door got louder, causing Yuuto to wince at the noise. As he stood up and stretched his muscles, Vee got up from her pool and started making her way to the front door.

''I'll get it!'' The orange slime exclaimed excitedly, wanting to find out who was waiting for them outside.

''Seriously Vee, I'll never understand how you're this energetic in the morning.'' The blonde replied before letting out a loud yawn, clearly not a morning person despite constantly being dragged out for early morning runs by a certain hellhound.

As he checked himself over to see if he was decent, he heard the front door being opened, soon followed by a loud exclamation from the adorable slime girl.

''Kasumi!''

Yuuto quickly made his way to the entrance of the apartment, finding Vee wrapped around the slim frame of his empusa squad mate. Kasumi, who was wearing a green tank top, black shorts, and a pair of white trainers, had her sickles wrapped lightly around the slime's head, and her hands placed on her shoulders, looking down at Vee with a warm smile.

''Good morning, Vee.'' The shinobi said with a slight hint of joy in her voice as the slime girl in her arms nuzzled against her chest. She then looked up at Yuuto, locking her gaze with his as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. ''And good morning to you too, Senpai.''

''Morning Kasumi.'' He replied, folding his arms as he returned the smile. ''You feeling okay?'' He asked, his tone changing to one of concern.

''Yes, I'm quite alright, thank you. Why do you ask?'' The empusa responded with an inquiry of her own as she tilted her head to the side.

''Well, for starters, this is the first time you haven't tried sneaking into my room since we've met.'' Yuuto replied with a wry smile on his face.

Kasumi averted her gaze from his as her cheeks went a brighter shade of red. ''It seems that Reaper has put it upon herself to keep you safe in my place, so I didn't wish to intrude.''

Yuuto's cheeks also went bright red, thinking about how clingy and overprotective Lala had become since the pair started dating, though to be honest, the blonde wouldn't have his girlfriend any other way. ''Well, thanks for respecting our personal space at least, but don't feel put off from coming to visit just because I'm dating now.'' He replied while rubbing the back of his neck. ''Anyway, I'm guessing you're here to discuss plans for our date today? Sorry to admit this, but I haven't got a clue what you'd want us to do, seeing you make a habit of keeping to yourself.''

''Well, that's the thing.'' Kasumi replied as she broke her hug with Vee, much to the slime girl's disappointment as she rushed to Yuuto's side. ''I was hoping that we could cancel our date.''

The human was confused by the empusa's request for a moment, before remembering their shopping trip with Hikari and Mireille the other day, soon followed by narrowing his eyes at the shinobi as a smirk crossed his lips once more. ''This wouldn't have something to do with a certain blue-haired papillion now, would it?'' He asked teasingly.

Kasumi averted her gaze again as she started rubbing her sickles together nervously. ''I was hoping that you could help me set up a rendezvous with her today, providing she's available and that Hikari allows it.'' She answered back in an embarrassed tone.

Yuuto gave his squad mate a warm smile before turning around to walk back into his room. ''I'll see what I can do, for now just make yourself at home.'' He replied in a positive tone.

Kasumi returned a warm smile of her own, before Vee walked up to her and grabbed her hand. ''C'mon in, I'll make you some tea while we're waiting.'' The orange slime said with a bright and cheery expression.

''Thank you, both of you.'' The empusa answered as she was guided to the couch by the adorable slime girl.

As Kasumi took a seat on the couch and Vee left her to make her way into the kitchenette, Yuuto sat down next to the empusa with his phone next to his ear as it began ringing. After a moment, the call was answered.

''HEY YUU-NII!'' Hikari yelled down the phone, causing the blonde MON operative to comically thrust the device as far away from his ear as possible to avoid going deaf. ''What can I do for my favourite big brother on this fine morning?!'' The younger sister asked in an overly chipper tone for what time of day it was, though this was nothing new to the older brother.

Yuuto decided it was a good idea to put the call on speaker phone before he answered. ''First off, I'm your only brother, and secondly, I was wondering if Kasumi could talk to Mireille for a moment.''

''OH, HOW CUTE!'' She practically squealed in reply. ''Sure, I'll go get her now!'' She continued, followed shortly after by a rustling sound on the other end of the line. ''Mireille, your favourite girl wants to talk to you~'' Hikari said to the papillion in a sing song tone.

''What?'' Mireille asked her host, before presumably having the phone forced onto her. ''Hello, who is it?'' She asked in a confused tone, not sure who she was speaking to.

''Good morning, Mireille.'' Kasumi greeted her crush, a warm smile creeping onto her lips at the sound of the papillion's voice.

''Oh! Bonjour Kasumi, and what do I owe the pleasure?'' Mireille greeted back before inquiring about why the empusa was calling her so early in the day.

''I was just wondering, are you free today?'' The empusa asked as her cheeks went bright red.

''Oui, I would love to meet up with you.'' The papillion replied in a cheerful tone, though it quickly turned into one of doubt. ''Well, that is if- ''

''OF COURSE, YOU CAN GO!'' Hikari yelled in excitement. ''I'm not having you miss out on your first date in Japan, hell, your first date, period!'' The host practically demanded.

''Alright.'' The homestay replied in a more positive, yet embarrassed tone before returning her attention to the empusa. ''Then it's settled. Let's meet up at the shopping district at around, say, ten o' clock?''

''Sure, that sounds great.''

''Très bien! I will see you then, my Sweet! And make sure you're wearing something cute and sexy for moi!'' Mireille replied and a flirtatious tone. ''Au revoir Kasumi!''

''Wait Mireille, I want to talk to Yu-!'' Hikari tried to say before the call ended.

''Well, I'll have to thank Mireille for cutting the call short.'' Yuuto said out loud as he took his phone back from the shinobi, thankful that he didn't have to endure his sister's overly inquisitive nature, especially in regard to him and Lala. He then started to tap away on the screen of his phone, presumably sending a text to someone.

''I suppose I should get ready for my date then.'' Kasumi said as a puzzled look soon crossed her face. ''But what should I wear? I want to look my best for Mireille.''

''I wouldn't worry about that.'' The blonde replied as a smirk appeared on his face. ''I've already asked for some help in that department.''

''From who?'' The empusa asked with a quizzical look on her face.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Suddenly, a frantic knocking could be heard from the front door of the apartment.

''That'll be her now.'' Yuuto said as a sinister grin appeared on his lips. ''Kasumi, do you mind answering that for me?''

The shinobi gave him a look of worry. ''I sense that there might be danger on the other side of that door, but I'll do as you ask.'' Kasumi replied as she stood up and bowed to her squad captain, soon making her way to her unavoidable fate.

As soon as the empusa turned the knob on the door and opened it, she was greeted with the tight embrace of an overly excited blonde-haired ogress who was still in her bright yellow pyjamas, who was obviously happy to be relied on for such a special occasion. Kasumi's upper body was buried between Tio's massive melons as the ogress swung her from side to side like a rag doll.

''Hey Sumi-chan! I'm sooooo glad you asked me to help you get ready for your date!'' Tio squeed in excitement. ''I'm going to make you the cutest little thing this side of Japan by the time we're done!'' She continued, now looking down at her friend with a warm smile.

''Th-Thank you for your assistance.'' Kasumi replied with a massive blush as she looked up at the ogress from her fleshy prison.

''Thanks for your help, Tio.'' Yuuto added with a massive grin on his face, still sitting on the couch. ''I'm counting on you.''

''Sure thing, Sweetie!'' The ogress answered back, waving back at the human with the shinobi still trapped between her breasts. ''We'll see you in a bit!'' With that, Tio shut the door, dooming Kasumi to her fate of being treated like a dress-up doll.

Vee soon returned from the kitchenette with a cup of tea in hand. A look of disappointed dawned her face as she realised that Kasumi was no longer in their apartment. ''Aww, and I just finished making her tea too.''

Yuuto quickly snatched the tea from the slime's gooey hand, and took a sip of the delicious beverage, letting out a sigh of satisfaction. ''Got to hand it to you, Vee. You're getting a lot better at this.''

''Yuuto! That was meant for Kasumi!'' The slime girl exclaimed as an adorable pout appeared on her face.

''What? Can't let a good drink go to waste.''

Vee just narrowed her eyes at the human as she puffed up her cheeks at him, clearly not pleased at his actions.

Yuuto couldn't help but chuckle at the orange slime's adorable reaction. ''Alright, alright. I'll make it up to you later. Right now, we need to get ready to help Kasumi with her date, and I need you to come with me to help. You up for that, Sweetie?''

With that, a massive smile appeared on Vee's face again, almost immediately forgetting about Yuuto snatching away the empusa's drink. ''Okay!''

* * *

Sometime later, just outside the shopping district, Kasumi was waiting by the entrance for her date as she fidgeted with her sickles nervously. The empusa was hardly recognisable from how she normally appeared, thanks in part to some of the clothes she got with Mireille's help the other day, and mostly from Tio's attempt to doll up the poor girl. Her hair which she normally had tied in a short ponytail was now draped down just past her shoulders, obviously being introduced to a pair of hair straighteners just this morning. Her face was also covered in a light smattering of make-up, including a light foundation, dark blue mascara along with the same coloured eye shadow which accentuated her green compound eyes, and a subtle shade of pink lipstick applied to her small lips, just bright enough to stand out. The outfit that Tio had presented her to wear for the day consisted of a light green dress with the hem of the skirt reaching just above her knees, which she wore under a light blue short-sleeved denim top, which had four sleeves to accommodate her body structure, and instead of her usual trainers which she wore for comfort, she was wearing a pair of brown short-heeled sandals, the heels short enough for the empusa so she could still walk properly. She was also carrying a brown leather handbag to help finish off the ensemble.

Kasumi was still rubbing her sickles together nervously as she held her lower pair of arms in front of her with her handbag in hand, not sure what else to do with them, though she was caught off guard momentarily as her squad captain was now speaking to her through an earpiece she was wearing, which was thankfully covered up by her hair. ''Hey, Kasumi. Take a deep breath, you don't want to be too anxious for your date today.'' The blonde agent spoke as the empusa did as she was instructed, the act calming her nerves slightly.

She raised a sickle to the right side of her head and pressed it against the earpiece. ''I'm sorry Senpai, but I can't help myself. I've never been on a date before.'' She answered back in a nervous tone.

''Well, it's not much different from when you were hanging out with Mireille and everyone else the other day, is it?'' The human operative reasoned, trying his best to get the introverted empusa into a calmer state of mind.

''Maybe, but it wasn't just the two of us, plus I wasn't dressed up for anything special at the time.''

''Seriously, have some confidence in yourself. Trust me when I say it'll go a long way, plus Mireille will probably find it sexy too.'' The blonde teased.

Kasumi's cheeks went bright red at that statement. ''Do you really think so?''

''I know so.'' Yuuto replied in a reassuring tone. ''Now, treat it like the two of you are just hanging out, but don't be afraid to trust your gut instincts, got it?''

The shinobi nodded back in response, though she wasn't sure if he could see it. ''Affirmative, Senpai.''

''Good, now just relax, Mireille will be here with Hikari any minute now, then after that it should just be the two of you. Good luck.''

''Thank you.'' She replied while smiling to herself. ''I will not let you down.''

After ending her conversation with Yuuto, the empusa continued to fidget with her sickles, looking to see if she could spot her date. Her anxiousness grew worse as time passed her by, wondering what could've happened to the blue-haired papillion. Just as Kasumi was thinking about looking for her, she caught a glimpse of blue and pink from the corner of her eye, and only one person came to mind.

''Kasumi!''

The empusa turned to find Mireille fluttering towards her as fast as her wings could take her. The papillion dolled herself up with make-up too, opting for black mascara and green eye shadow, as well as some light foundation and blue lipstick to match her hair and carapace. She was wearing a cream blouse, tight blue denim jeans, and a pair of cream flat shoes, as well as carrying a cream handbag. Mireille was waving at her as she approached the shinobi, a joyous smile appearing on her lips as her cheeks went red.

''Mireille…'' Kasumi muttered to herself, admiring the beauty of the papillion closing in on her.

Within moments, Mireille had landed in front of her and quickly pulled her into a tight hug, which caused the shinobi's cheeks to flush furiously. ''Oh, it is so good to see you, and I must say, you don't fail to impress.'' She said while loosening her grasp to look her date in the eyes. ''I asked for cute and sexy, and I got exactly what I wanted.'' She added to a flirtatious tone.

Kasumi soon averted her gaze from the papillion, embarrassed by the compliment. ''Th-Thank you. You look amazing too…'' She trailed off into a murmur, but Mireille was still able to pick up what she said.

''You are too kind, Kasumi.'' The papillion replied as she stepped away from the MON operative, twirling around on the tips of her toes to show off her outfit. ''Though I must admit, I did want look my best for our date.'' She added, giving the empusa a warm smile.

''Hey you two~'' The familiar voice of the butterfly girl's host called out in a sing song tone, quickly catching the pair's attention. They both turned around to find Hikari, wearing a plain blue V-neck shirt, grey denim shorts and white trainers. ''Oh, my, Gosh! You two look adorable together!'' The blonde girl squealed as she gave the pair a massive grin.

''I'm glad you think so.'' Mireille replied, wrapping her arms around one of Kasumi's sickles, the empusa's blush would have gotten redder if it were possible. ''Thanks for letting me go out with Kasumi today.

''No problem, but don't you two need a chaperone, with the Exchange Bill and all?'' Hikari asked, a puzzled look on her face.

''Thank you, but it is not needed.'' The shinobi answered once she had recomposed herself, before pulling out her MON I.D. card from her handbag. ''I can go out without the need of a host, plus I can escort other liminals around without worry. I'll escort Mireille back once our date is over.'' She added flatly.

''Oui, so there's no problem, Hikari. We can handle ourselves.'' The papillion added with a smile.

Before the host could retort, her phone went off, indicating she received an email. She then pulled it from her back pocket and found it was from her brother, before opening up to read the contents.

 **Hey Sis, get your butt over here by the alleyway on the right and leave the lovebugs in peace. Kasumi and I have already agreed to keep an eye on them from a distance. Vee and I will be waiting for you. Yuuto.**

Hikari pouted to herself momentarily as she pocketed her phone, before turning her attention back to the two insectoid liminals, returning her usually bright smile at them. ''That's okay, I have stuff to sort out while I'm in town anyway.'' She then made her way past them before waving them goodbye. ''Enjoy your date you two!''

After waving the human off, Mireille returned her attention back to her date for the day. ''C'mon, Kasumi. I have so much planned for us today.'' She stated as she started pulling Kasumi along by the sickle.

''Right…'' The empusa muttered back, letting a warm smile show on her lips now it was just the two of them.

Once she was sure that Mireille and Kasumi couldn't see her, Hikari made her way to the meeting point where Yuuto and Vee were currently hiding. She peeked her head around the corner of the alleyway while no one was looking, finding the human and slime pair leaning against the wall, her brother, wearing a black t-shirt under a red plaid short-sleeved dress shirt, blue jeans and brown trainers, as well as his fingerless gloves, with his arms crossed in front of his chest, and Vee, wearing her blue rain coat and boots, munching on some chocolate the human had got her.

''Took your sweet time, Hikari.'' The MON operative said in an impatient tone.

The younger sister stepped into the alleyway and wrapped her arms around her older brother's neck, nuzzling his cheek as she tightened the embrace. ''Good to see you too, Yuu-nii.'' She replied ignoring the annoyed look on his face, happy to cause him to blush due to her current affections. ''Why did you decide to stalk Kasumi today? Not getting jealous, are we?'' She teased, poking his other cheek playfully.

Yuuto broke off from his sister's embrace, causing the girl to giggle at his reaction. ''I'm not stalking her. Kasumi asked for my help, so I'm keeping an eye on her and giving her advice when she asks for it.'' He replied, pointing at the earpiece on his right ear.

''Ooh, very Mission Impossible.'' Hikari marvelled at the device, before pressing her chest against his, until her lips were next to his ear, before pressing a finger against the earpiece. ''Good luck, Kasumi~'' She spoke into the earpiece, much to Yuuto's dismay. ''Make sure you tell me all abOWOWOWOWOW!'' She was interrupted as her brother pinched on her cheek hard, dragging her face away from his ear.

''Ever heard of personal space?'' Yuuto complained, pulling on her cheek harder.

''Fine! Fine! Just let got already!'' She exclaimed until he did so, allowing the blonde girl to soothe her reddened cheek with her own hand. ''No need to be so mean!'' She continued, pouting at him.

''Then stop messing around.'' He replied, narrowing his eyes at her. ''Anyway, we should get moving. Don't want to lose sight of them.''

''But what about Vee? She'll stick out like a sore thumb.''

The two blondes looked towards her, the orange slime in question giving the Kazama siblings an innocent smile after finishing her snack.

''Don't worry, we've got that covered.'' Yuuto answered with a smug look on his face before turning his attention to the slime girl. ''Ready to show off your new trick, Sweetie?''

''Okay!'' Vee exclaimed joyously.

Within moments, she started to grow in height and bust until she was in her adult form. From there, the surface of Vee's body started to take on the appearance of human skin. Her yellow orbs had taken on the appearance of amber human eyes, while her tendrils took on the shape and colour of strawberry blonde wavy hair, which reached down to her waist. The only thing that didn't transform was her fringe-like feeler, which was still orange with a yellow tip.

''Um, Vee? Clothes.'' Yuuto said, pointing down at her chest.

She looked down, and realised she was still only wearing her rain coat to cover her modesty. She then stared at Hikari for a moment, studying her outfit. Satisfied, her body morphed under the rain coat, followed by the slime girl revealing an exact copy of Hikari's V-neck and shorts underneath.

''Tada!'' She exclaimed with a hint of pride.

''Wow! That's so awesome, Vee!'' Hikari exclaimed as she wrapped the now disguised slime girl in a loving embrace.

''Awesome, awesome!'' The slime replied, nuzzling her cheek against Hikari's.

''Well, she's had a crash course in shapeshifting from Doppel, so she's learnt from the best.'' Yuuto said proudly, before pulling out a hair band with a large pink flower on it from his back pocket. ''Here Vee, use this to hide your feeler.'' He added, handing the hair piece to the slime girl.

Vee reached out with her feeler, and wrapped it around the object until it was hidden under the flower, now resting on top of her head. She then broke the hug with Hikari and wrapped her arms around his, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder. ''Thank you, Yuuto.'' She said lovingly to the human.

''No problem. Now, let's get going.'' As he attempted to move forwards, his sister went to the opposite side of him and wrapped her arms around his. ''Hikari? What are you doing?'' He questioned, furrowing his eyebrows at her.

''I know we're here to help Kasumi and Mireille, but we might as well make a date of it while we're here.'' She answered, giving him an innocent, but mischievous smile.

''What?!''

''Yeah Yuuto! Treat us good!'' Vee chimed in, giving the exact same smile Hikari was.

Yuuto looked back and forth between the pair, before ultimately letting out a defeated sigh. ''Fine, but remember what takes priority.''

Hikari and the disguised Vee giggled with glee as they dragged the MON operative into the shopping district, ready to enjoy a day of being treated like princesses by him.

* * *

Further down the district, Kasumi and Mireille found themselves standing outside a lingerie shop that was quite popular amongst liminals in the area. Mireille was staring in awe at what was being presented in one of the display windows. Kasumi on the other hand, was flushing furiously, embarrassed by the sight in front of here.

''Ooh La La! They all look so sexy!'' The papillion exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement. ''We have to see what else is inside!''

''Err, do they even cater for liminals?'' Kasumi questioned, looking for an excuse not to go in as she started fidgeting with her sickles.

Mireille then pointed a finger towards the sign outside, saying 'Sizes and designs for all species' In big bold cursive writing. ''Why of course, my Sweet.'' She answered sweetly, giving the empusa a seemingly innocent smile, before she grabbed one of her sickles and started dragging the poor girl into the shop. ''Now, come along. I want so see what design fits you best.'' She continued as her smile grew slightly more perverted, to which Kasumi grew more concerned about the papillion's behaviour.

Kasumi wasn't sure why, but she smiled back at her. She may be embarrassed about trying on lingerie, but seeing Mireille's smiling face was going to be worth a few moments of embarrassment. She didn't care what they were doing, as long as she was doing it with this beautiful and lovable papillion girl that seemed to have stolen her heart from the day they first met. Before she realised it, the pair came to a stop as Mireille was talking to one of the sales assistants.

''Excusez-moi, Madam. Where can we find the section for insectoid species?'' She asked in a polite tone of voice.

''They're near the back by the changing rooms, Miss. Will you need assistance?''

''Oh, no. My date and I will be quite alright, thank you.'' She replied with a bow before she continued to drag Kasumi by the sickle, leaving the sales assistant bemused by her statement.

After a few moments of Mireille collecting a number of provocative items for her and her date to try on, Kasumi found herself in one of the changing room, with a certain papillion waiting outside in anticipation. As the empusa slowly undressed herself, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was only wearing a plain green bra and plain green panties by now, and apart from her waistline which she made great efforts to maintain, she didn't see anything spectacular about her features. Her bust was modest at best, being only B-cups, her butt wasn't anything to right home about, especially when compared to her harpy squad mate, and her legs didn't really stand out despite having them on display most of the time. Kasumi knew that most people were attracted to others through physical appearance in most cases, and she puzzled over why Mireille took such a keen interest in her, though as she worried, she didn't notice the papillion peering into the changing room until she spoke up.

''Don't worry, my Sweet. You are looking as beautiful as ever.'' Mireille said in a reassuring tone, giving her a sweet smile as she did so.

''M-M-M-Mireille! What are you doing?!'' The empusa exclaimed in surprise, trying her best to cover her modesty as best she could with her hands and sickles.

''Oh, don't be such a prude.'' The papillion replied playfully while she gave her a wink. ''We're both women after all, plus you should be more confident with your figure. Personally, I like what I see.'' She replied as her tone became more suggestive.

Mireille poked her head out of the cubicle to see if the coast was clear. Satisfied, she snuck into the cubicle Kasumi was currently occupying, causing the empusa to flinch momentarily at the bold action. The papillion then pressed herself against the shinobi's exposed back, her voluptuous curves pushing into Kasumi's soft pale skin as she wrapped her arms around her in a loving embrace. Kasumi's entire face went bright red at this point, but she couldn't bring herself to stop her date's affections. She just stood there, frozen in place as Mireille rested her chin on her shoulder until her lips were right next to the empusa's ear, being dangerously close to the earpiece that was hidden only by her silky brown hair.

''I know that you don't like to stand out all that much, but you shouldn't be afraid to show yourself to the people you care about the most. If something makes you uncomfortable, then tell me, but let me know if something makes you feel good too.'' She spoke in such a loving tone, that Kasumi couldn't help but feel the anxiousness melt away from her. ''I like you, Kasumi, and I want you to be comfortable around me, and with yourself, so tell me if anything bothers you, okay?''

The empusa couldn't help but smile at those comforting words, and she soon place her hands on top of Mireille lower set of arms which had snaked their way around her waist. ''Mireille…'' She replied in a quiet tone which only the papillion could hear, enjoying the feeling of the beautiful woman wrapped around her, before nodding in reply to her request.

Mireille cheeks were also red at this point, and soon pecked the shinobi on the cheek before separating from her, to which Kasumi's eyes widened in surprise. ''Good. Now, I am willing to help you change into these sexy panties if you so desire.'' The papillion teased as she held up the aforementioned frilly red panties and bra in between her hands, while giving her a seductive look.

A look of worry crossed the empusa's face as she averted her gaze from Mireille's, now fidgeting with her sickles in embarrassment. ''Maybe when we get closer, but for now, I'd feel more comfortable doing it myself.''

Mireille pouted to herself for a moment at losing her chance to personally play dress up with her favourite empusa. ''A shame. Well, I can always wait, no need to rush things on the first date after all.'' She said as she handed the garments over to Kasumi. ''I'll be just outside if you need moi.'' With that, the papillion stepped out of the cubicle, leaving Kasumi to her own thoughts once more.

''Kasumi, is everything alright?'' Yuuto asked through the earpiece, presumably seeing Mireille stepping out of the cubicle she was using.

The empusa hesitated for a moment, but she soon smiled to herself and pressed a sickle to the earpiece. ''Yes, Senpai. Things are going better than expected.'' She replied in a hushed tone, her cheeks flushed bright red even through her make up.

''Well, that's good to hear. Anyway, just let me know if you need any help at all, alright?''

''Of course.'' The shinobi answered confidently.

''Great. I'll let the two of you- ''

''Hey Yuu-nii! Do you think these would look sexy on me?'' Hikari asked her brother, loud enough for the empusa to hear.

''…Do you have any idea how wrong that sounds?'' The MON operative said in a despairing tone.

''Oh, c'mon! I hardly have any guy friends, and you know I value your input!''

''And I'm not about to say that my little sister, of all people, looks sexy in the middle of a lingerie shop!''

''Wow, it really does sound bad when you put it like that.'' She replied while nervously giggling to herself.

''I swear to god…'' Yuuto muttered out loud out of frustration.

''Yuuto! Can I get these?! Can I, can I?!'' Vee asked excitedly, presumably showing off some sexy lingerie she found.

*Sigh* ''Listen Kasumi, I'll get back to you another time. I have these headaches to deal with right now.'' Yuuto told the empusa as she let out a defeated sigh.

''Best of luck, Senpai.'' Kasumi replied, trying to stifle her giggling from her captain's unfortunate situation, before returning to the matter of trying out the different sets of bras and panties Mireille found out for her.

* * *

After their stop at the lingerie shop, the pair went on with their date in a normal fashion, stopping by certain shops that caught their interest, to just strolling through the street hand in hand, or sickle in hand for the most part. They eventually stopped at one of the outdoor cafes, and decided to get a light bite for a mid-afternoon snack. Mireille decided to get a large strawberry parfait for them to share, and Kasumi was in the mood for a sweet treat with all the walking around they've done so far. What the empusa didn't expect though, was for her date to active try to feed her.

''Here you are, my Sweet. Say aaaah~'' Mireille said to her date in a cutesy tone, holding a spoon full of strawberry parfait which was slowly making its way to the empusa's mouth.

Kasumi was slightly apprehensive about the idea of having someone feed her in public. She could understand the romantic gesture, but she was perfectly capable of feeding herself. The papillion wasn't perturbed by the girl's hesitation, and continued to edge the spoon towards her.

''Kasumi.'' Yuuto spoke through the earpiece again. ''Just roll with it. It'll make her happy.''

With that bit of wisdom, Kasumi finally relented. ''Aaah.'' With her mouth now open, Mireille proceeded to feed her date the sweet treat with a smile of satisfaction.

The shinobi chewed on the treat for a moment, judging if it was to her liking or not. Her eyes then widened due to the tasty sensation in her mouth, savouring the flavour before she swallowed it and let out a sigh of satisfaction.

''Wow, that's really good.'' She commented as a sweet smile graced her lips.

''See, I told you you'd love it.'' Mireille replied, now with a massive grin on her face. ''Now, I would like to enjoy a sample myself.'' She added in a flirtatious tone as she handed the spoon over to the empusa, giving her the insectoid equivalent of puppy dog eyes as she waited in anticipation.

Kasumi looked at the spoon for a moment before dipping it into the parfait, followed by extending it towards the papillion.

''What's the magic words?'' Mireille asked playfully, wanting the full romantic treatment.

The shinobi blinked at her in confusion, but soon realised what she wanted. ''Say aah.'' She said flatly, causing the papillion to giggle in amusement for a moment.

''Aaaaah~'' She opened her mouth gleefully before Kasumi placed the treat inside.

Mireille slurped up the parfait as her date pulled the spoon from her mouth, letting out a satisfied hum as she chewed on it. Kasumi's face went red at the sound the papillion was making as she enjoyed the treat, but she couldn't help but smile at the cute, if slightly sensual act.

''Mmm, that is so delicious.'' The papillion said out loud in a joyous tone. '' 'Très bien.''

''I'm glad you like it.'' Kasumi replied, clearly enjoying her date's joyous mood.

Mireille returned her attention to the empusa, laying her lower pair of arms on the table, and propped up her elbows of her top pair, resting her face in her hands as she stared lovingly at Kasumi. ''You know, when I first came to Japan, I had originally intended to find myself a human girlfriend, though Hikari shot that down pretty fast. I hadn't expected anyone to make a move on me, well, no woman at least, but then as if by some divine calling, you come into my life and captured my undivided attention. I'm not sure what possessed you to confess to me the other day, but I can never thank you enough for doing so.'' She said as her cheeks went red, unable to look away from the stunning empusa in front of her.

Kasumi's face went a brighter shade of red at the papillion's comment as she started fidgeting with her sickles once more, averting her gaze for the moment. ''Err, well, you're welcome. Though, I'm not solely to thank for that decision. If it wasn't for Senpai, I don't think could ever have worked up the nerve to confess to you.'' She explained as her nerves were slowly getting the better of her again.

''Senpai?'' Mireille questioned, not sure who Kasumi was on about.

''Oh, I mean Yuuto. It was his encouragement that pushed me towards confessing.''

''Well, it seems I'll have to thank him too at some point.'' The papillion answered, before taking the shinobi's hands into her own. ''But for now, I want you to know that I'll never forget the kindness you showed me a few days back, and I want you to know that I feel very much the same way, Kasumi.''

The empusa's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden confession from Mireille, but she soon regained her composure and stared longingly into her azure blue eyes. ''That's good to know.'' She replied, smiling back at her.

Mireille then removed her top pair of hands from her cheeks and took the spoon resting next to Kasumi's arm, before scooping a spoon full of parfait. ''Now, we can't let this parfait go to waste now. Say aaaaah~''

Kasumi was more than willing to cooperate this time round, and played along in a more enthusiastic manner. ''Aaah~''

At another outdoor café nearby, Yuuto was keeping an eye on the pair, happy to see that the two insectoids were enjoying themselves. ''Well, things are looking great from what I can see.'' He said out loud with a cheesy grin on his face.

''Mmm, shish ice cream ish sho good!'' Hikari said in between eating spoons full of mint chocolate ice cream. ''You should try shome!''

''Can you not talk with your mouth full?'' He asked in an irritated tone of voice.

Hikari swallowed the contents in her mouth, and moved to get another spoonful for her brother to try. ''Alright, say aaaaah~''

The disguised Vee, who was in the middle of eating vanilla ice cream, did the same and got a spoon full to give to the blonde operative. ''Yeah Yuuto! Try some of this! Aaaaah~''

''Seriously, you two. I am not going along with this little game oMMMMFPPPHH!'' He was interrupted as the two girls stuffed their treats into his mouth mid-sentence, causing him to nearly choke on the ice cream.

''See, wasn't that nice?'' The blonde woman asked with a joyous grin on her face.

Yuuto made sure he was still able to breath before he retorted. ''Are you trying to kill me?!'' He shouted in an annoyed tone, which was understandable given the situation.

''Well, you're still alive, aren't you? So, what's the problem?''

''…'' He had no words for her, he was that angry, but seeing they were out in public, he thought it best to calm down and recompose himself, crossing his arms and looking away from his sister with a huff.

As he looked away, he noticed that Kasumi and Mireille were done with their snack and started making their way back onto the shopping district, both hand in hand as the left.

''Anyway, you two, finish up. They're on the move.'' He said to the pair of troublemakers, before he noticed a suspicious figure walking towards the pair of insectoid liminals.

The man in question was a werewolf with grey fur and silver eyes. He was wearing a black tank top and dark grey jeans with the bottom half of the legs being badly torn. He was walking towards them from the front, aiming directly towards the papillion with a sinister grin on his face. In a split second, he grabbed a hold on the girl's handbag, and ripped it from her grasp before making a break for it at break neck speed. Mireille let out a shocked yelp, causing Kasumi to check if her date was alright.

''Mireille! Are you hurt?!'' The empusa exclaimed as she checked the papillion over.

''Yes, my Sweet. But my handbag…'' She answered in a distraught tone.

''Leave it to me.'' She replied once she was sure that Mireille was fine, before she silently darted after the werewolf thief.

The werewolf kept running through the crowds as fast as his paws could take him, but just as he was about to break free, Yuuto jumped in front of him, taking up a defensive stance as he did so. The werewolf came to a halt, before snarling at the human that dared to get in his way.

''You looking for a death wish, Ape?!'' The werewolf yelled in anger, raising his free hand to show off his black claws.

''Cool it, Fenrir.'' The blonde operative jested. ''Just drop the handbag, and you might just get off with a minor disciplinary from the ICEP.''

''Fuck off! You know you can't touch me!''

''Maybe, but I'm not your main concern.''

Before the werewolf could answer back, he felt something hit him hard on the side of the face. The offending limb was folded carapace-covered sickle, which succeeded in hitting its mark, causing the werewolf to stumble around momentarily as he tried to find his bearings again. In front of him was Kasumi, and she was giving him the most intimidating look she could muster.

''I believe you have something that belongs to someone I care about.'' She said with her sickles raised, ready for a fight.

The werewolf smirked to himself and gave the shinobi a sinister look. ''Well, if that's what you want, Doll, but don't blame me if I mess up that pretty face of yours!''

He dropped the handbag to the ground, and lunged at the empusa with a raised claw. He swiped at her, but Kasumi easily ducked under the attack. The werewolf let loose a flurry of swipes, but none could hit their mark as the shinobi evaded every single strike. She found an opening, and struck him in the face again with a folded sickle, which knocked out one of his teeth. The werewolf regained his footing, and snarled at her as blood trickled from his mouth.

''You bitch!'' He shouted furiously, before he charged at her again.

As he closed in, Kasumi crouched low, and swept her leg under his paws, causing him to start toppling to the ground, but before he could hit it, the empusa poised her sickles, and gave him a confident smirk. Before he could react, she slammed her folded sickles into his gut, sending him flying and causing the werewolf's back to collide hard with the side of the building behind him. His unconscious body slumped to the ground unceremoniously, falling flat on his face as he did so. With that, Kasumi stood up straight, and moved to retrieve Mireille's handbag.

''You shouldn't take what isn't yours.'' Kasumi said out loud as she draped the strap of the handbag over the shoulder of one of her lower arms.

''Kasumi, I don't think he can hear you.'' Yuuto interjected as he walked to her side. ''He got knocked the fuck out.''

''Oh, so he did. Serves him right.'' She answered before turning to face him. ''Thank you for holding him up, Senpai. He might've escaped otherwise.'' She continued as she bowed before him.

''No need, you did all the work.'' He replied, rubbing the back of his neck. ''Good job, Kas- ''

''KASUMI!''

Mireille shouted from the top of her lungs as she fluttered towards the her with Kasumi's handbag in tow. The empusa turned to face her, only to have the papillion wrap her into a loving embrace where there was no escape. Kasumi found it hard to breath as Mireille tightened her grip around her. The girl then loosened her grip as she started checking the shinobi over.

''Are you alright, my Sweet?! Did hat ruffian hurt you?!'' She asked in a panicked stare, fearing that she might've been injured.

''It's okay, he didn't even touch me.'' Kasumi answered with a warm smile, which helped put the papillion at ease.

''Oh, thank goodness!'' She exclaimed in relief, before she pecked the empusa on the cheek. ''Please don't ever scare me like that again!'' She added as she continued to pepper her cheek with kisses.

''Mireille…'' Kasumi muttered as her cheeks went red, before she wrapped her arms and sickles around the papillion. ''It's okay, I'm fine.''

Yuuto moved towards the werewolf, and checked to see if he still had a pulse. ''Looks like he'll be fine. I'll call in a detainment unit to deal with this idiot.''

''Please do, Senpai. It looks like I'll be preoccupied for a while.'' She replied with Mireille still clinging tightly to her.

''No worries, just enjoy the moment.'' He answered back, smirking at her.

At the front of the crowd forming around them, Hikari was looking on in awe with Vee to her side, who had returned to her child like slime form by now. ''Vee, remind me never to get on Kasumi's bad side.''

The orange slime merely nodded at her request. ''Hikari, don't get on Kasumi's bad side.'' She answered back in all seriousness.

The blonde girl placed a hand on top of Vee's head and rubbed it gently as she looked down at her with a warm smile. ''Thanks Vee.''

* * *

Eventually, Zombina and Tio showed up in their black and yellow combat fatigues with an armoured truck to detain the werewolf. The zombie instinctively went up to her fellow captain and gave him a high-five, while the ogress scooped up Kasumi and Mireille into a loving hug, glad that the pair were alright. They then swiftly locked up the 'Criliminal' in question, and soon made their way back to headquarters. Once everything had calmed down, Kasumi, Mireille, and the rest of the group decided it would be a good time to make their way home. They soon found themselves outside Hikari's and Mireille's flat, and the papillion had her arms wrapped around one of Kasumi's sickles the whole way.

''Well, this is our stop.'' Hikari said out loud. ''Thanks for walking us back.''

''Oui, thank you for the escort.'' Mireille added, looking up lovingly at her heroine.

''It wasn't a problem.'' Kasumi replied, returning the loving gaze.

''Well, all I can say is that was an interesting day.'' Yuuto commented as he stretched his arms above his head.

''Yeah, it was super fun!'' Vee exclaimed in a joyous tone.

''Yeah, hope to see you soon.'' Hikari said as she made her way to the front door.

''Oh, Hikari, I'll be with you in a moment. I just want to say goodbye to Kasumi.'' Mireille said, looking at her host with pleading eyes.

The blonde woman merely smirked at her homestay. ''Alright, just don't take too long, lovebugs.'' With that, she opened the door to her apartment and stepped inside.

Mireille soon returned her attention to the empusa and stepped in front of her. ''Kasumi, before I go, I wanted to thank you for getting my handbag back.'' She said with a hint of nervousness, which was unlike the papillion.

Kasumi blushed at her comment as she remembered her kissing her cheek profusely earlier. ''I'm sure your praise from earlier will suffice.'' She replied in an embarrassed tone.

''Oh, no. If not for the huge crowd, I would've shown you my full praise.'' Mireille answered as her tone grew more sultry.

The shinobi gave her a puzzled look. ''What do you MMMFFFPPPHHH!''

Kasumi was cut short as Mireille pressed her lips to hers, letting out a quiet moan as she did so that only the empusa could hear. She soon calmed herself down from the sudden assault on her lips, and soon eased into it as the pair enjoyed the moment, enjoying the feeling of Mireille's antennae as they lightly brushed across her forehead. They soon reluctantly separated, and Mireille stared lovingly into her Sweet's eyes as she placed a hand on her cheek.

''Thank you for today, my Sweet.'' The papillion said before pecking the shinobi on the lips once more before making her way back into her apartment. ''Au revoir, everyone.'' She added with a wave before shutting the door.

''Later.'' Yuuto replied as he returned the gesture.

''Bye bye!'' Vee exclaimed, waving her arms and tendrils frantically.

Kasumi was too stunned by Mireille's bold move as she pressed her sickles to her cheeks, which had gone bright crimson by this point, though she didn't notice the embarrassed smile she had on her face the whole time after her kiss with the papillion.

''Well, I'd say that was a successful date, if I do say so myself.'' Yuuto said to the shinobi with a cheesy grin.

''Yes, I would have to agree with you there.'' Kasumi eventually replied as her smile became less embarrassed and grew warm.

The blonde operative then stepped to her side and place a hand on top of her head, gently rubbing it. ''Good job, Creed.''

A look of confusion crossed the empusa's face as she looked up at her squad captain. ''Creed?''

''You know, Like Apollo Creed from the Rocky movies. You've got some mean fists there, I mean, sickles.''

''I'm sorry, Senpai, but I don't know what you're on about.'' She answered, raising an eyebrow at him.

''Okay, how about Assassin's Creed?'' He asked, hopeful she at least understood that reference.

''Hmm, I think Zombina mentioned that in passing before, maybe that'll be something I can relate to more.'' She replied, giving him a warm smile.

''Let's go with that then.'' He answered before giving her head one last pat. ''You fancy getting something to eat at the sushi place on the way back? My treat.'' He added as the group started making their way home.

''Thank you. I could do with something after such a stressful day. It'll also keep Smith happy in regards to your commitments.'' She said in a slightly teasing tone.

''Dear god I hope so…'' He replied despairingly.

''Sushi!'' Vee exclaimed, wrapping her arms and tendrils around Yuuto's.

Kasumi may have had a stressful day, but it was worth every minute to see that loving smile on Mireille's face. She would come to enjoy her days with her new girlfriend.

* * *

A/N: That's another chapter done, and far lengthier that I had anticipated. Some of you may be thinking that I'm rushing Kasumi's and Mireille's relationship a bit, but I feel like some relationships just click together, not that I'm a master when it comes to relationship or anything. I want it to feel believable, and I do hope that's what I've achieved. Personally, I think Kasumi and Mireille make a great couple. Also, it that Yuuto starting to give his squad mates nicknames? I'll be honest, I hadn't initially considered the idea, it just cropped up. Thought Creed might be a decent one for Kasumi, namely for Assassin's Creed, plus the the way she uses her sickles kind of screams champion boxer, in the loosest of terms. I think next up on the dating is Kestria, and what will she have planned for poor Yuuto? Well, you'll have to find out next time! There might be a slight delay on that though, as I'll be in Spain for a week in a few days time, so consider yourselves warned. Anyway, feel free to follow and favourite if you enjoy the story so far, and drop a review or any suggestions if you feel it deserves it. As always, thank you so much for reading, and see you in the next installment of MON - Squad Bravo!


	27. A Harpy's Bold Decision

A/N: Don't worry, I haven't died! Been occupied/distracted by a lot of things lately (namely my holiday followed by many hours of Monster Hunter World). Hopefully this chapter turned out well. Hopefully it'll be good character development for Kestria. After this date, the next person on the list will be Raia, though I'm not 100% sure what to do for her yet, maybe a nightclub setting, but as of yet it's still undecided. With any luck it won't take as long to write as this one. On a final note, we're close to 30'000 views on the story, and all I have to say is thank you to everyone who's been reading the story, long time follower or if you've picked it up recently. Might do another special chapter when we reach 35'000 views, though I'm unsure what to do for it. Any suggestions for minor story arcs are always appreciated. As always, follow and/or favourite the story if you enjoyed it, feel free to leave a review or any suggestions for the story if you feel it's necessary, and finally, I hope you enjoy reading it.

* * *

'' _Damn, need to top up on bentos again…''_

It was another early morning at the local Oka-mart, and the store clerk was busying himself with restacking the shelves while it was still quiet, though he was hardly enjoying his shift if the bored and tired look on his face was any indication. As he scanned the shelves, he rubbed the top of his buzz-cut head as he was slowly losing the will to live. It may've been a boring job for the most part, but there was always the chance of something interesting happening, like the attempted robbery the other day for example. He had been held at gunpoint by a trio of liminal criminals, and he had to admit that he was pissing himself the whole time. Thankfully for him though, he was save by a group of off-duty MON operatives who had happened to stumble onto the incident. The four liminal women in question quickly and effortlessly dealt with the criminals, and he couldn't thank his lucky stars enough for their timely arrival. He could never forget the silver-haired raptor harpy that flew in and incapacitated the lizardman threatening to shoot him, how effortlessly and gracefully she dealt with the criminal, and how stunning she looked as she did so. She immediately caught his eye, but to his surprise, she also took an interest in him, though she seemed more interested in teasing him, but still she had an interest.

His face went red as he thought about the woman that saved his life. _''Hmm, I wonder what she's up to right now…''_ He contemplated to himself as he continued to scan the shelves.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, he felt a pair of soft mounds press up against his back, quickly followed by the feeling of the person's breath against his ear. ''Morning Bud, did you miss me?'' The voice of a woman whispered into his ear seductively, a voice he remembered all too clearly.

He suddenly leapt forwards and pressed his back against the shelf behind him, turning around to see the woman responsible for saving him. The silver-haired harpy MON operative stood there with her wings held behind her back with a teasing look and a massive grin on her face, her azure blue eyes now locked with his. She was wearing a blue tank top, and a pair of green cargo pants with zippers running along the outside of both legs.

''K-K-K-Kestria!'' The clerk exclaimed in surprise, though he was happy to see her nonetheless.

''C'mon Ishida, I told you to call me Kes, remember? Kestria is just too formal for my liking.'' The harpy replied with a teasing grin still on her face, enjoying making the poor man squirm.

''Oh, right.'' Ishida said while rubbing the back of his head with an embarrassed look on his face. ''So, Kes. What brings you here today?''

Kestria gave him a warm smile upon hearing him use her shortened name. ''Just here to get some water.'' She started as she walked up to the man, before playfully pinching his cheeks with the digits on her wings. ''Plus, I wanted to make sure you weren't being held at gunpoint again.'' The harpy continued, giving him a teasing grin again.

''Oh, that's good to know…'' Ishida replied nervously as his cheeks took on a deeper shade of red.

He wouldn't admit it, but he enjoyed having Kestria come and check up on him, it was almost a daily routine at this point. Every time she'd sneak up on him and tease him in some way, shape or form, making sure he was alright, and made sure that he knew that she'd always keep an eye on him. With every passing day, the harpy would be bolder with her attempts at making herself known, by the third or fourth day of her visits she'd had gotten more touchy-feely with the subtle shoulder rub or a hug goodbye, which always succeeded in putting a goofy smile on his face.

After a moment or two, Kestria let go of his cheeks and took a step back. ''Anyway, I can't hang around today. Got a date to go on after all.''

The clerk's eyes shot wide open upon hearing this. ''Wait, a date?! Are you sure you should be doing stuff with me if you're already seeing someone?!'' He exclaimed as his heart started pounding in his chest with panic.

''Chill out dude, it's not like that.'' Kestria replied while waving her wings at him in an attempt to calm the man down. ''It's just a work thing. My boss has got me and my squad to do an experiment in regard to the upcoming amendments to the Exchange Bill, so me and the other girls are taking turns going out on dates with our squad captain, Hotshot.''

''Hotshot?'' Ishida questioned with an eyebrow raised.

''Yeah, the blonde guy that showed up just after me and the girls saved your hide the other day.''

''Oh.'' He had finally calmed down after having the situation explained to him. ''Well, I bet he must be having the time of his life…'' He said with a hint of jealousy.

''You'd think so, but he's finding it really awkward, especially seeing he already has a girlfriend.'' Kestria replied with an amused look on her face. ''He basically got strong-armed into doing it by our superior.''

''Well, that sounds complicated. Anyway, what do you guys have planned for today then?''

''We're having a day trip to Hinohara Village to see Hossawa Falls and take the hike around Mt Matsubaeyama. Need a break from the hustle and bustle of the city.''

''Nice, I've been there myself, and I couldn't recommend it enough. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.'' Ishida said with a confident smile on his face.

''Oh? Well I just have to go now, seeing it's got your seal of approval.'' Kestria replied in a sultry tone, winking at him. ''I best get going now, don't want to keep Hotshot waiting.'' She added, before checking to see if anyone else was around, but fortunately for her, it was just the two of them.

''What are you doing, Kes?'' The clerk asked with a confused look on his face.

''Just making sure the coast is clear.'' The harpy replied in a seemingly innocent tone.

''Clear for what?''

''This.'' She answered as she narrowed her eyes, her tone becoming more sensual.

Before Ishida could react, the MON operative leant into him at lightly nipped at his right earlobe, causing the poor man to blush profusely. She stepped away from him as quickly as the act itself and walked away while waving a wing at him.

''Catch you later, Bud.'' She said before stopping for a moment to wiggle her butt at him, which sent the man reeling by this point. ''Don't go forgetting about me.'' She added as she walked off again with a wink.

Ishida stood frozen in place for a moment, trying to make sense of what just happened as his whole face went red. Only one thought crossed his mind as he brought himself back to reality. _''How the hell did I get so lucky?!''_

* * *

Back at the apartment complex, Yuuto was waiting outside the front entrance for the arrival of his harpy squad mate, wearing a plain white t-shirt, an old pair of blue denim jeans, and a pair of brown hiking boots, as well as a green backpack on his back. He was continually checking the time on his phone as he waited impatiently for Kestria, wondering what might've happened to her. Just as he was about to make his way back inside to check on her whereabouts, he heard the meek voice of his monoeye co-worker speak up from behind him.

''Good morning, Kazama-san.'' Manako said in an uncharacteristically confident tone, though the blonde was happy to hear that she was more comfortable around him than from when they first met.

Yuuto turned around to see the purple-haired monoeye in her work uniform, presumably making her way to work, though he couldn't help but finding her walking out of the complex by herself a little bit odd, considering her shy demeanour. ''Morning Manako.'' He replied, giving her a warm smile. ''Not going in with Zee and the others today?''

''Oh, Ms Smith asked me to come in early to help her with something.'' The monoeye replied in a slightly more nervous tone as she broke eye contact with him for a moment. ''It's your date with Kestria today, isn't it?'' She questioned as she returned her focus to him.

''Yeah, it is.'' Yuuto replied as he readjusted his backpack. ''Kes and I are heading to Hinohara today. She hasn't had chance to get out of the city since she joined MON, so I thought it would be nice to take her somewhere away from the urban sprawl.''

''That's really kind of you, Kazama-san.'' Manako replied with a warm smile on her face. ''I'm sure she'll really appreciate it.'' As she continued to talk, the blonde would notice his co-worker occasionally glancing towards the sky, and he started to get suspicious of her.

''You okay there, Manako?'' The blonde asked with a hint of concern, though he knew she was up to something.

''Oh, I'm fine!'' She exclaimed suddenly in a panicked tone, flailing her hands at him apologetically. ''N-N-Nothing to worry about!'' Try as she might, the monoeye couldn't keep calm any longer.

Yuuto was now narrowing his eyes at the woman as his suspicions grew tenfold. ''Kes put you up to something, hasn't she?'' He asked in an annoyed tone.

Manako's face turned red as she grew more flustered over her current situation, and eventually she relented, sighing in frustration at being found out. ''I'm sorry Kazama-san, but she asked me to distract you for a while so she could prepare.''

He quirked an eyebrow at Manako in confusion. ''Prepare for what exactly?''

She then stepped to the side of him and looked him straight in the eye as her tone grew serious. ''You might want to brace yourself.''

''Brace myself for whaAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!''

From out of nowhere, Kestria flew in behind the blonde agent and grasped her talons around his arms, and proceeded to lift him into the air with her with great ease. The harpy looked back at Manako with a massive grin on her face as she started to ascend with her squad captain in tow.

''Thanks for your help, Manako! I owe you one!'' Kestria shouted as loud as she could.

''It's no problem!'' The monoeye shouted back with a wide smile as she waved them off. ''Have a good day you two!''

Once she was out of earshot, Kestria returned to the task at hand of making their way to their destination, though the blonde agent she was currently carrying was less than please about his current predicament. ''ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK?!'' He yelled at her in a furious tone. ''AT LEAST WARN A GUY BEFORE YOU CARRY HIM OFF TO GOD KNOWS WHERE!''

The harpy looked down at him as her grin widened. ''And ruin the surprise? Where's the fun in that?'' Kestria asked as she winked at him.

Yuuto let out a defeated sigh as he eventually calmed himself down, now that they were flying at a steady altitude. ''There's no winning with you, is there?''

''Nope, so you might as well enjoy the ride.'' She replied back with a warm smile as she focused her attentions back to where she was flying. ''Oh, by the way Hotshot, could you put these water bottles in your bag for me?''

The blonde looked up quizzically at her for a moment, before noticing an Oka-mart bag to the left of him in one of her talons. He grabbed the handle of the bag as Kestria loosened the toe the bag was clutched to, and he took it off her, holding it to his chest as he felt it was too dangerous to try to get at his own bag mid-flight. Kestria looked down at him again to see the slightly worried look on his face as he clutched the handles of the bag with both hands to his chest, and the raptor harpy couldn't help but giggle to herself at the sight of her squad captain.

''What's so funny, Kes?'' Yuuto asked as he furrowed his eyebrows at her.

''Sorry, but you look like one of those old ladies waiting at the bus stop with the face you're making right now.'' She replied before starting to laugh out loud to herself, much to the annoyance of the blonde held in her grasp.

''Well, it's not everyday I get abducted by a raptor harpy, so I'm kind of feeling on edge right now…'' He said with a mixture of worry and annoyance.

''Well, better get used to it, Hotshot.'' Kestria replied with a smug look on her face. ''There's no telling when I'll have to swoop in to save your ass.'' She continued in a slightly suggestive tone in an attempt to tease him, and it succeeded in causing his face to blush bright red.

''…Glad you're so concerned about my ass, Kes…'' He answered in a sarcastic tone.

The harpy couldn't help but giggle to herself again. She definitely enjoyed spending time with Yuuto, and today wasn't going to be an exception.

* * *

The pair eventually made it to their destination, Hinohara Village. The village itself was situated in a mountainous path, right next to the Aki River. Even though they were still fairly close to Tokyo itself, it felt like they were out in the middle of nowhere, the area surrounded by forests and mountainous terrain as far as the eye could see, from ground level that is. After admiring the scenery for a moment, they eventually descended into the village itself, the harpy dropping off Yuuto close to the ground once they'd slowed down enough, before landing gracefully right next to him.

''Wow, this place is really scenic. No wonder Ishida recommended coming here.'' Kestria commented as she took in the view of the village and the surrounding area.

''Ishida? Do you mean the store clerk you've been seeing lately?'' Yuuto asked as he faced his squad mate, giving her a quizzical look.

''Yeah, him. And before you ask, no. I'm not dating the guy.'' She replied as she glanced away from her squad captain with her wings held behind her head, her cheeks going red. ''Well, not yet at least…''

''Almost feel sorry for the guy if he has to put up with what I do with you on a daily basis.'' The blonde said with a cheeky grin.

This had quickly earned him a hard jab in the side from the raptor harpy's elbow, though Yuuto still had an amused look on his face as Kestria furrowed her eyebrows at him, accompanied by a smirk on her lips. ''Oh, you are so going to pay for that later, Hotshot.'' She said before she wrapped a wing around his arm and started dragging him off towards the local attractions. ''C'mon, lets go see Hossawa Falls first.'' She continued as a massive grin appeared on her face.

'' _Seriously, why do all the girls feel they have to drag me around everywhere?''_ The blonde thought to himself as he let out a defeated sigh, something he felt like he's mastered recently. ''Alright, just don't yank my arm off, okay?'' He continued as he gave her a warm smile.

''Well, it'll be your fault for not keeping up with me then.'' The harpy answered while winking at him.

''…Of course, it is…'' He replied as Kestria giggled to herself.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking, the pair made their way down a wooden walkway in the middle of the woods that crossed over a small stream, and finally made it to Hossawa Falls. The waterfall itself wasn't massive, only being shy of 200 ft high over four steps, but it was still a sight to behold. Kestria stared in awe as she watched the water cascade into the pool below, and Yuuto couldn't help but admire the view too.

''It's really beautiful here, don't you think?'' The harpy asked, her eyes still fixated with the waterfall.

The blonde glanced to his side and gave her a warm smile. ''It is, though you should see this place during the winter. It practically becomes a wall of ice, and it's quite the sight.'' He explained as he looked back at the waterfall again. He then glanced back at her again to see her staring back at him, her eyes shining like diamonds as she gave him a pleading look. ''Pfft. Alright, I'll bring you back here when it gets colder, so you can stop begging now.'' He continued, trying to stifle a snicker at the cute face she was making.

Kestria smiled back at him, happy with his answer. ''Thanks Hotshot.'' She replied before she stepped back and spread her wings wide. ''I'll be back in a sec, just want to get a better view.''

With that, she took off into the air and made her way to a large and sturdy branch that overlooked the waterfall. She got above the branch and perched herself on it, the limb able to hold her weight, not that it was ever a concern with her hollow bones. Kestria looked down at the waterfall, and she could see the water cascade down all four steps, each grander than the last. The raptor harpy seemed bewitched by it's beauty and couldn't turn her gaze away from it. Yuuto looked up at her and couldn't help but smile at how happy she was, it was obvious that she loved nature by now.

''Look Mommy! There's a pretty bird lady up in the tree!''

The MON operative looked behind him to see a young boy who was about five years old with short jet-black hair and green eyes, grasping his mother's hand as he pointed at his harpy squad mate perched up in the tree.

''Seiji, it's rude to point at people.'' The boy's mother lectured him while giving him a stern look. ''And she isn't a bird lady, she what's called a harpy.'' She explained to her son, to which the boy nodded in understanding.

''Actually, she's a raptor harpy to be exact.'' Yuuto interjected as he gave the pair a warm smile. ''They're like normal harpies, but they're more comparable to birds like eagles, being bigger and stronger than most other harpies.'' He explained to the boy.

''So, she's like an eagle lady then?'' Seiji asked, trying to make sense of what he was told by the MON operative.

Yuuto chuckled to himself before he replied. ''Basically.'' The blonde then glanced up at Kestria to see that she hadn't budged an inch, but could tell she heard what they were saying, if the light blush on her cheeks and slight pout on her face were any indication. He then looked back at young Seiji and walked up to him and his mother before he knelt down so he was at eye level with the boy. ''Hey, do you want to meet her?''

The boy's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing he'd get the chance to talk to a real-life eagle lady in person, and his excitement sky rocketed as he turned to face his mother. ''Can I, Mommy?! Can I, pleeeeeeease?!'' Seiji pleading to her as he gave her his best puppy dog eyes.

His mother looked down at him and gave him a warm smile. ''Yes Seiji, you can meet her.'' She replied before turning her attention to the blonde man. ''If that's okay with your friend that is.''

Yuuto smirked to himself as he stood up straight again. ''I'll go ask her now.'' He replied before he turned his attention to his harpy squad mate who was still perched in the tree. ''Hey, Kes!'' He shouted.

Kestria was brought out of her trance and looked down at her captain. ''What is it, Hotshot?'' The harpy asked, giving him a quizzical look.

''Can you come down for a sec?'' He asked as he smirked at her. ''I think you've made a new friend.''

Kestria glanced towards the woman and the young boy standing near Yuuto, and noticed the boy staring at her with an awe-struck face, waiting in anticipation for her answer. The raptor harpy smirked to herself before she took off from her perch and glided down towards the group. Seiji face was plastered with a huge smile, happy to see the eagle lady fly down towards them. Kestria finally landed in front of the group, and immediately made her way to the young boy, crouching down in front of him until she was at eye level with him.

''Hey there.'' She started as she waved a wing at him. ''What's your name?''

''I'm Seiji!'' The boy exclaimed in excitement. ''What's yours?!''

''Seiji, there's no need to shout. She's right in front of you.'' His mother said sternly to him.

''It's alright.'' Kestria said looking up at the mother before returning her attention to her son. ''My name's Kestria, but most people call me Kes.'' She answered with a wide smile on her face.

''That's such a cool name!'' Seiji exclaimed again. He then focused his attention towards one of her wings. ''And you've got really cool wings too!''

Kestria held her right wing in front of her, examining the patterns and colouration. ''I guess they are.'' She said before looking back at the boy. ''You want a touch?''

He looked up expectantly at his mother again, pleading to her with his puppy dog eyes. His mother merely nodded at him as she gave him a warm smile, signalling her approval. With that, he took a step forwards and gingerly placed a hand on the harpy's wing. A wide smile appeared on his lips as he felt the softness of her feathers against his hand, and Kestria giggled as he lightly brushed his hand across her wing.

''It's so soft…'' Seiji muttered to himself as he continued to stroke her wing.

Kestria continued to giggle to herself as the young boy gently stroked her feathers. ''Hey, that tickles.'' She said in between fits of giggling.

Yuuto and Seiji's mother looked down at the pair with warm smiles on their faces at the adorable sight they were witnessing. ''Thank you for doing this.'' The human woman said as she directed her attention to the blonde. ''I'm sure Seiji really appreciates this, it's not very often he gets to meet a liminal in person.''

''It's not a problem.'' He replied as he glanced down at his harpy squad mate once again. ''Seems like Kes is enjoying herself too.''

After a moment, Kestria stood up straight again and took a step back from the young boy. ''Pretty cool, huh?'' She said to him as she gave him a wide smile.

''Yeah! Thank you, Kes!'' Seiji exclaimed joyously. ''I bet you could do all sorts of cool stuff with your wings!''

The raptor harpy gave him a warm smile before she spun around on her talon, extending her wings out to her sides as she did so. ''Oh, they can do a lot of cool stuff, Seiji. There's this one time when…''

Kestria would go on about all the aerial manoeuvres she could do, and how her flying skills were used to help people, though she exaggerated some of the details for dramatic effect, and Seiji was clearly hanging on to her every word. After a while and a parting farewell, the two groups went their separate ways, with Yuuto and Kestria making their way back into the village. As they were heading back, the harpy wrapped her wings around his arm and held it close to her chest, causing her squad captain to blush at the act. He looked down at her and noticed the joyous smile on her face as she rested her head against his shoulder.

''Seems like someone enjoyed themselves.'' Yuuto said to her with a warm smile on his face.

''Yeah, that kid was fun to talk to.'' She replied before looking up at her date. ''Though, you still owe me for that oh so hurtful comment from earlier.'' She continued in a sarcastic tone as she gave him a teasing grin.

*Sigh* ''What do you want?'' The blonde asked in a despairing tone.

''Well, I saw this place while we were heading up here that's supposed to serve up really good dumplings, and I am absolutely starving after flying you all the way here.'' She replied as she pouted at him in an attempt to guilt-trip the human into treating her, tightening her grip on his arm as she did so.

Yuuto sighed to himself again, knowing full well the harpy would gorge herself on the savoury treats, though he was thankful that she wasn't as messy an eater as Blare. ''Fine, but don't overdo it with the dumplings. We've still got the hike to do later on.''

''No promises.'' Kestria replied, giving him a teasing wink before giggling to herself, though Yuuto was genuinely happy to see the harpy enjoying their day out.

* * *

After an hour and many dumpling sacrifices later, the pair left the village and started making their trek up Mt Matsubaeyama. Initially, the hike took them through a forest of tall trees while going up a steep incline. After a while, they would break through the woods and into a clearing where the trees were less dense. Kestria took the chance to spread her wings and start flying around above the blonde operative as Yuuto continued hiking up the mountain, now thankful for the slightly decreased incline. A few minutes of walking later, the ground finally evened out, and the human was just about ready to take a break. He looked up to the sky to see Kestria still flying around without a care in the world. Returning his focus his current surroundings, he noticed that in front of him was a solitary tree standing near the edge of a gentle slope, overlooking a breath-taking view of the nearby mountain range with Mt Fuji standing proudly in the background. Yuuto made his way towards the tree, satisfied that it'd be the ideal resting spot for him and Kestria. He took his bag off and placed it to his side before sitting himself down to rest his back against the trunk of the tree, letting out a sigh of relief as he allowed his muscles to rest. As Kestria was still flying above him, she noticed him doing this and slowing started descending towards him. She soon gently landed in front of him and crossed her wings in front of his chest, as the blonde looked up at the raptor harpy, giving her a warm smile.

''Getting tired already, Hotshot?'' The harpy asked, giving him a teasing smile. ''I thought humans were good at walking long distances.''

''Yeah, on flat ground I may add. Climbing mountains kind of exerts more energy last time I checked'' The blonde retorted, returning her a cheesy grin of his own. ''Plus, you're not the one carrying our supplies.''

Kestria gave him a warm smile as she dropped her wings to her sides, slowly making her way towards the human before taking a seat right next to him, resting her back against the large tree herself. As she was making herself comfy, Yuuto unzipped his backpack and pulled out two water bottle which the harpy had bought earlier, and proceeded to pass one over to her.

''Here, looks like you need it.'' The blonde said as he waved the bottle in front of her.

She stared at the bottle for a moment before grasping her wing around it and taking if from her captain's hand. She may have only had apposable nubs at the joint of her wings where most species had hands, but they were enough to unscrew the cap on the bottle before pressing it to her lips as she took several gulps of water from the plastic container.

Once she was done, she let out a sigh of satisfaction before putting the cap back on. ''Thanks for that, Hotshot.'' She eventually replied before wiping the mouth with one of her wings. She then looked out at the view in front of them, and she was happy with the scenic mountain range. ''Got to say, to know how to find a good view.'' She commented as she continued stare at the scenery in awe.

Yuuto smirked at that comment as he took in the scenery himself. ''Well, me and my sister used to come here quite often when we were younger, any excuse to get away from our dad.'' He replied as he recalled the times he went up here with Hikari on their days off school, and it was times like those that allowed them to be as close as they were. He may not admit it, but at the end of the day, he loved his little sister, and despite how much of a nuisance she could be at times, the blonde wouldn't have her any other way.

A sad smile soon crossed Kestria's face at the mentioning of the human's family, recalling the situation with her own. ''Guess I'm not the only one with family issues then.'' She said as she tucked her legs to her chest and wrapped her wings around them.

Her squad captain looked back at her with a look of concern, though he couldn't help but wonder about the raptor harpy's circumstances. ''I've been curious, what actually happened with you and your tribe anyway?'' He asked, though he was careful not to pressure her into answering his question, seeing it was a personally matter. He wasn't exactly forthcoming with the problems he had with his farther after all. ''I'll understand if you don't want to- ''

''It's okay.'' The harpy interrupted him, though she didn't make eye contact with him. ''I've been meaning to talk to someone else about it for a while now.'' She continued as her tone grew shaky, remembering what happened with her tribe before she left for Japan.

''Who else have you told?''

''Raia.'' Kestria answered as she glanced at him, a sad smile still prevalent on her face. ''Believe it or not, we joined the Exchange Program around the same time and ended up staying with the same host for the year.''

''That explains why you two are so close then.'' Yuuto replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

She stifled a chuckle at that comment. ''I guess, if you call her tying me up with her wrappings for fun close. Though I will admit, she is a good listener when she wants to be.'' Her smile faded again as she got back on track with their conversation. ''I suppose I should tell you about what happened with me and my tribe.''

''You don't have to force yourself if you don't want to.''

Kestria shook her head at him, not wanting him to give her an excuse to avoid the subject. ''No, I want you to understand why I'm here in the first place.'' She then took a deep breath to calm her growing nerves, and continued to speak. ''Me and my younger sisters went out hunting one day, and we found this large bull elk by itself near a forest. The three of us took it out quick and easy, and were about to carry it home with us. That's when… That's when it…'' The raptor harpy was struggling to get her words out as tears started rolling down her cheeks, the memories of what happened still clear in her mind.

Yuuto placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze, causing the harpy to look up at him with tear-stained eyes, surprised by the sudden contact. ''It's okay Kes, just take your time.'' He said in a calming tone, hopeful that it would calm the harpy down.

She wiped the tears from her face and took a moment to recompose herself, nodding to him as she did so. ''Anyway, this grizzly bear came charging out of the woods while we were getting ready to fly off with the kill. My sisters got away from the elk as fast as they could, but me being stubborn decided that I'd fight the bear for the kill…'' Kestria hung her head in shame as she replayed the memory, recalling everything she could remember.

Yuuto sat there with his hand still on her shoulder, and gave it a squeeze again as she went silent, trying his best to comfort her.

She took another deep breath. ''Basically, I got my ass handed to me, but before it tried to swipe at me, my youngest sister, Avia, pushed me out the way and took a claw to the back for me. She was bleeding heavily from the deep claw marks, and me and my other sister, Tori, flew her back to the others as fast as we could.'' Kestria looked back up at her captain as tears were still welling up from them. ''In our culture, putting a hunting partner in harms way, for whatever reason, is unforgivable, so the rest of the tribe was pissed after I explained what happened. The whole tribe, including my own mother, saw it fit to exile me for what happened, and the worst thing is, I never found out what happened to Avia afterwards, and it haunts me to this day that she might've died because of my own pride…'' The silver-haired harpy was balling her eyes out at this point, unable to compose herself any longer.

The blonde had tears welling up from his eyes as well from the sad story, and he soon pulled his harpy squad mate into a comforting hug, which Kestria responded by wrapping her wings around his chest, and nestled her face into his chest, now crying as hard a she could. ''It's alright Kes, let it all out.'' He wrapped his arms around her tighter as she continued to sob into his chest.

Kestria continued to wail with grief for some time, but after a while, she calmed down enough to look up at him from his chest, a sad smile crossing her lips once more. ''Thanks Hotshot. You really are a good friend.''

''I try.'' He answered back as he lightly strokes her hair. ''You going to be okay?''

The raptor harpy separated herself from her captain, wiping the tears from her face again. ''Yeah, sorry about that.'' She apologised before continuing her story. ''Anyway, turns out we got a visit from the ICEP officials that day, and you'll never guess who was with them.''

Yuuto quirked an eyebrow in confusion for a moment, before he realised who she was talking about. ''Wait, Ms Smith was there?''

''Don't know why, but she was, and she heard all about me being exiled from the tribe. She wasted no time in finding me and convinced me there and then to sign up for the program. Either she wanted to make use of my skills for something good, or she wanted to avoid having a lone raptor harpy causing trouble somewhere.'' She replied, her mood slightly improving.

''Knowing her, probably both.'' He joked, which succeeded in getting a giggle from his squad mate.

Kestria smiled back at him. ''Anyway, after a shit ton of paperwork, I was shipped off to Japan to move in with a girl call Fuyumi, alongside with a certain mummy we're well acquainted with, and thirteen months later, here I am.''

Yuuto shook his head to himself before responding. ''And here I thought I had problems with family.''

''What happened with yours then?'' The harpy asked.

''Long story short, after my mom left, Dad started pushing me and my sister to do better, to the point he would get violent if we didn't meet his expectations. Once we were old enough, we moved out, and we haven't spoken to him since.''

''Families suck, don't they?'' Kestria said as she hung her head with an amused look on her face, unable to believe what she and her squad captain had gone through because of their so-called families.

Yuuto then placed a hand on her head and patted it gently. ''Sometimes, but at least we've got good friends to rely on.''

''Isn't that the truth.'' She answered back before standing up to stretch her wings. ''Thanks for everything today, but do you mind if we head home now? I feel exhausted after all that.''

The blonde operative soon joined suit and got up onto his own feet, stretching his arms as well. ''I'll second that, the hike itself was bad enough.''

Kestria soon returned to her usual demeanour and gave him a teasing grin. ''I've heard from Blare and Kasumi that you've started giving us nicknames. So, what's mine going to be?'' She asked as she got up in his face. ''It better be a good one too.'' She added with a teasing wink.

The blonde averted his gaze from his harpy squad mate, his cheeks going red from the sudden confrontation. ''Can't say I've thought about it much.'' He said as he tried to give himself to think of a good one for her, though one practically jumped in front of him within seconds as he met her eyes again. ''How do you like Falco?''

The harpy gave him a quizzical look. ''You mean the bird guy from the Star Fox games?''

''Yeah, that one.''

Kestria mused to herself as she held her chin in her wing, thinking over if the nickname suited her. After a moment, she looked back at the human with a smile on her face. ''Works for me, Hotshot.'' She replied, bumping shoulders with him before she started walking off back the way they came. ''Let's get going, I've got stuff to do now that you're off the market.''

''Let me guess, it involves your crush that works at Oka-mart, right?'' Yuuto teased as he walked up behind her.

Her face went red at his accusation, and she quickly turned around to face him again, a peeved look plastered on her face. ''Hey, that's none of your business!'' She squawked at him as she puffed her cheeks out.

''Alright, alright. Just don't do anything illegal, got it?''

She soon gave him a teasing look again. ''Like I said, it's none of your business.'' She replied, giving him a mischievous wink.

As the harpy walked off in front of him again, Yuuto couldn't help but enjoy the fact that Kestria was back to her normal self again, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for the store clerk as his harpy squad mate was going to be his problem for the foreseeable future.

* * *

It was almost dusk, and Ishida had just finished off his long shift at the Oka-mart. It had been a gruellingly dull day for the most part, apart from his visit from Kestria earlier, which was enough to get him through without banging his head against a wall. As he walked out of the building, he heard a faint yell in the distance, but it seemed strange seeing it sounded like it was coming from above him.

''Hey! Ishida!''

The store clerk looked up to see the smiling face of the silver-haired harpy that had taken an interest in him. ''Hey Kes!'' He yelled back at her as he waved his hand at her.

He had however failed to notice she was still flying at him with some speed, and before he realised it, the girl had crashed into him, wrapping her wings around him as she did so. After a moment, he came to his senses and opened his eyes to see Kestria's face looming mere inches above his.

''Sorry about that.'' She apologised in an innocent tone as she rubbed the back of her head with one of her wings. ''I just couldn't wait to see you.'' She continued as a blush soon appeared on her cheeks.

Ishida's face had also gone bright red and immediately sat himself straight, with the harpy still pressed up against his chest. ''D-D-Did you really need to crash into me like that though?'' He stuttered, feeling embarrassed about the compromising position he found himself in.

''Oh, don't be such a grouch, Bud. No harm, no foul.'' Kestria replied, now giggling to herself.

The young man wasn't sure what was worse, whether that she crashed into him knowing they could get hurt, or that she tried to brush it of with a possibly intentional bird pun. He soon sighed to himself, unable to bring himself to lecture the gorgeous girl currently on top of him. ''Alright, but can you do me a couple favours, please?'' He asked in a defeated tone.

''Name it.'' Kestria replied with a wink.

''First of all, can you let me get up, please?''

The harpy nodded at him and soon got off him, offering a wing to help him up as a bonus.

The human took her wing and got back onto his feet with her help, before brushing himself down. ''Thanks. As for the second favour…''

''What did you have in mind?'' She asked as she got up in his face. ''Can't do anything illegal though, Exchange Bill and such.'' She continued in a teasing tone.

''Do you mind calling me Isao instead? I honestly prefer it over Bud.'' He said as he averted his gaze from hers.

Kestria gave him a warm smile and leant into the human again, resting her head against his shoulder as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of him next to her. ''Whatever you say, Isao.'' She replied in a caring tone, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder.

Isao smiled back at her in turn, happy with her answer.

The raptor harpy soon stepped back from the clerk, holding her wings behind her back. ''I've been meaning to ask, what have you got planned tonight?''

''Err, well, not a lot. Just go home and make myself dinner.'' He answered in a slightly nervous tone, already guessing how she wanted to spend her evening. ''You're welcome to join me if you want.''

Not a split second had passed as Kestria latched her wings around his arm, nestling it against her chest. ''It's a date then.'' She replied with a massive grin on her face.

Isao couldn't help but smile back at her as they started walking back to his place. He wasn't sure what had happened on her date earlier today, but he was happy to know that she wanted to spend time with him above anyone else. He felt like he was on Cloud Nine.


	28. A Mummy's Undying Determination

It was mid-morning, and Yuuto was making his way to the vehicle garage owned by the ICEP. He had got back from his morning run to find a note from Raia by his front door, asking him to meet up with her at the garage as soon as he could. He could only presume that it was about setting up plans for their day today, but he wasn't sure why the mummy didn't just call him on the phone to discuss the matter. Regardless, he had arrived now, and he had entered the passcode on the keypad to get in through the side door of the building.

Once inside, he made his way through the first floor of the garage, which resembled something more akin to a multi-story parking area, filled with a number of government issued vehicle, many of which were similar to Ms Smith's black Sedan. There were also a number of SUV's and armoured trucks as well which MON made extensive use of. As he made his way further in, he pulled out the note from Raia from his back pocket and opened it up to read again.

 **Morning Medjay.**

 **Could you meet me on the first floor of the garage when you get chance? I want to discuss plans for our date, and I don't want the others ease dropping on us**. **I'm sure you'll enjoy what I have in mind.**

 **Raia xxx**

'' _Strange, what does she want to talk about so badly that she can't say it over the phone?''_ The blonde thought to himself as he put the note away, now focused on finding the whereabouts of his mummy squad mate, though his search was short lived as he heard her talking further up the garage.

''C'mon Baby, tell me what's wrong with you.''

He could recognise the undead's voice, but who was she talking to? He was under the impression that it would only be the two of them. Was there someone else with her? Did she find herself a boyfriend that she didn't want anyone else to find out about yet? As he got closer, he crouched down and peaked around the corner of a nearby van to conceal his position. He wasn't entirely prepared for what he saw.

Raia was laying on the ground underneath her bike, wearing a grey tank top, blue denim shorts, and a pair of black boots. She was busy checking over the vehicle, seemingly worried that it wasn't working as well as it could be. What had surprised him though was the fact her face, arms, and legs, weren't covered in wrappings like they usually were, her tanned skin gleaming with sweat as she worked on the bike. He then noticed a strip of wrapping that was still attached around her waist, and found it trailed off towards the wall of the garage and found a huge ball of linen bandage sitting in an empty space between him and the mummy. This was a strange sight for the human, but he knew that Raia had exceptional control over her wrappings. Maybe she had unwound them so they wouldn't get covered in oil and sweat perhaps, that was the only reason he could come up with.

'' _Damn, I didn't know she had that much control over her wrappings.''_ Yuuto thought to himself as he marvelled at the sight in front of him.

Raia stopped suddenly and pulled something out of the engine as she started muttering to herself again. ''Damn, looks like I might need to replace your sparkplugs again.'' She complained as she looked over the offending object. She then sat herself up and rested her chest on the seat of the vehicle, rubbing her free hand over the outer casing of it. ''Don't worry Baby, Mama will get you fixed up all nice and new.'' She continued as she nuzzled her cheek against the seat.

The human could admit to seeing stranger and more terrifying sights, such as Doppel's supposed true form, though seeing someone talk to and cuddle up to a motorbike was up there as far as strange things were concerned. Eventually, Yuuto couldn't keep quiet any longer as he stood himself up and turned the corner, ready to announce his arrival.

''Do you always make a habit of talking to your bike while no one's around?'' The blonde teased with a cheesy grin on his face.

''AAAAHHHH!''

Raia jumped to her feet and spun around to face him, though as she did so, the large ball of wrappings started rolling towards the blonde operative at high speed. Unable to react in time, Yuuto was sent tumbling to the ground as the ball rolled over him with some force. The ball eventually hit the opposite wall, though thankfully it didn't hit any vehicles along the way. The mummy soon opened her eyes once her panic had passed, only to see her squad captain lying flat on his ass with a dizzy look on his face. Raia soon rushed to his side and knelt down next to him to see if he was hurt.

''Medjay, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?!'' She exclaimed with worry.

It took a moment, but the human eventually raised his head and looked her in the eye. ''…Yeah… I'm just… peachy…'' Yuuto replied in a strained tone, trying his best to reassure his squad mate.

Raia grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him up so he was sitting up straight. Yuuto started rubbing the back of his head until he felt something bump against his back. He jerked his head to the side to find the large ball of wrappings pressed against his back.

''Relax Medjay, it's just my wrappings.'' The mummy said to him in an attempt to calm him down.

''Yeah, the ones that just ran me over…'' The blonde replied in a deadpan tone.

Raia giggled to herself for a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. ''I'm really sorry about that. I was just startled.'' She said, pressing her cheek against his.

Yuuto smirked to himself before her patted the girl on the back to reassure her. ''Hey, it's alright. Accidents happen, so don't worry about it.'' He replied in a soothing tone.

The mummy loosened her grip on him so she could look him in the eye as she gave him a disapproving look. ''You know, you can be a little too forgiving sometimes.''

The human merely quirked an eyebrow at her with a smirk still present on his face. ''Maybe, but to be fair, I was the one who snuck up on you.''

''Well, I was the one who asked you to come here, so I should've known it was you.'' Raia replied, breaking eye contact with him as her cheeks went red with embarrassment.

''Look, quit worrying about it will you? I'm not mad at you.''

The mummy looked back at him to see a warm smile on his face, his blue eyes lock with her deep green eyes. She couldn't help be smile back at him, and she eventually got off of him, standing to her feet. ''Alright, you win. Can you stand?''

Yuuto nodded at her before standing up himself, stretching his muscles as he did so. He then looked over at his squad mate's bike again, noticing it's sleek design, as well as its red and gold outer shell. ''Does she have a name?''

Raia looked back at her bike, smirking to herself as she did so. ''You've probably already heard it, but her name's Baby.'' She said as she walked over to the vehicle, before lifting her leg over to straddle the seat. ''She's a Yamaha Fazer 25, 249cc engine that tops out at 131kph, and I love her to bits.'' She continued as she leant forwards and caressed the top of the fuel tank just in front of her seat. ''I've had her since I first came to Japan, and I couldn't bear to part with her either.''

Her squad captain chuckled to himself as he watched the undead practically cuddle with her 'Baby'. ''Have you always been this much of a vehicle nut? Cause last time I checked, cars and bikes weren't a thing in ancient Egypt.'' The blonde joked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

The mummy quickly smirked back at him. ''Short version, the guy I stayed with before I moved to Japan was a vehicle nut too, and I guess his love and passion for them kind of rubbed off on me.'' She replied as she sat herself up straight on her bike. ''And before you ask, no. There wasn't anything romantic between us, he was like a father to me.'' She continued, reminiscing about her time shortly after her resurrection.

''Even though you're four-thousand years his senior?'' Yuuto teased, which quickly earned him a whip on his arm from Raia's ball of wrappings.

''That's enough lip from you.'' She answered while giving him a sadistic smile. ''Or maybe you want to be punished that badly.''

Yuuto's eyes suddenly shot wide open at the mummy's comment, and he quickly started flailing his hand apologetically at her as he felt a cold chill run down his spine. ''Hey, I was only joking.'' He replied in a panicked tone, causing his squad mate to giggle at him, happy to have gotten such a reaction from him.

''Good.'' Raia stated as she now gave him a warm smile again. ''You know what they say about asking a woman her age.''

''Right…'' He answered back as he calmed himself down. ''Anyway, what do you have planned for our date today?''

''Tonight actually. Need to fix Baby up first, not to mention that I need to get ready myself.''

''Oh, are we going somewhere fancy then?''

''Not especially. There's this new night club I wanted us to check out, I hear it's pretty popular with liminals already, and it's in Shibuya of all places too.'' The mummy replied as she giggled to herself, remembering her first encounter with her squad captain fondly.

Yuuto thought back to the night he met both Raia and Kestria, and of the car chase they were involved with, smiling to himself as he recalled how easily they stopped the criminals, thanks to her driving skills and her abilities. He brought himself back to reality as he locked eyes with his mummy squad mate. ''What's the name of the place?'' He asked out of curiosity.

''You'll find out later.'' Raia answered as she gave him a seductive look, before using her wrappings to whip his butt lightly, causing the human to flinch. ''Now, run along Medjay. Baby need my full attention right now.'' She continued as she got off the seat of her bike and laid herself underneath it again. ''I'll catch you later.''

The blonde smirked at her once more before he turned around to make his way out the garage, waving a hand at her as he left. ''Yeah, I'll see you in a bit.''

As the human made his leave, Raia sighed to herself as she began working on her bike once again. ''That boy really has no idea how lucky he has it sometimes. It's not every day he has a princess trying to win him over…'' She muttered to herself as her cheeks went red.

She knew that her captain was already seeing someone, but the mummy never said anything about giving up on him just because he had a girlfriend. It might've been selfish of her, but with no other romantic options on the horizon, she had to pull out all the stops to get him to fall for her, especially when his face and personality reminded her of someone she loved dearly in her previous life. Maybe, just maybe after all this time, her trusted guardian would finally come back to her.

* * *

Later that day, Yuuto and Raia had made their way to Shibuya via train, and soon after night had fallen, they found themselves standing in a massive queue outside the night club the mummy had mentioned earlier. Yuuto was wearing a white t-shirt underneath a brown leather jacket, a pair of navy blue tight denim jeans, and a pair of black smart-looking trainers. Raia on the other hand went for something more casual and provocative, wearing a black short sleeved crop top, light blue denim shorts fastened with a brown leather belt, and a pair of tan short heeled wedge shoes. She had also unravelled her wrappings so that her cleavage and her naval were exposed, purely to try to entice her squad captain.

The club itself was five-stories tall and was situated on the corner of the street they were on, and there was a large green and pink neon sign that read 'Wild Life' with a furry claw-tipped hand holding a beer bottle just above the entryway of the building.

Yuuto looked to his date and gave her a questioning look. ''So, this is the place?''

''It sure is.'' Raia answered as she smirked at him. ''I heard about this place from some of our co-workers. Apparently, this chain started off in some small mountain town called Okayado in Yamagata prefecture.''

''Okayado? You mean the place where they built that massive ski resort not too long ago?''

''Yeah, I also heard that the ski resort and night club, as well as the Sports Club Kobold there are owned by the same guy. I bet he must be loaded.''

The blonde smirked to himself upon hearing that. ''Sounds like someone Polt would get on with.''

''If they're not already related.'' Raia replied, giving her captain a teasing look.

As they were talking, they soon made it to the front of the line, where they were greeted by a tall and muscular grey-skinned woman with short jet-black hair and crimson pupil-less eyes, wearing a white dress shirt and black suit jacket with the sleeves rolled up, black suit trousers, and a pair of black boots. What made the woman stand out more was the fact that she had six arms in total, all of which had black tribal tattoos on her exposed forearms. The woman looked down at the pair and gave them a friendly smile as they reached the entrance.

''Evening. I just need to see your ID's quickly.'' She requested, almost sounding apologetic as she did so.

''No worries.'' Yuuto answered as he pulled his MON ID card out, while Raia did the same.

The bouncer took their ID cards and checked them over quickly. Her eyes went wide as she double checked the mummy's card, not quite believing what she saw. After a moment, the woman shook herself from her stupor and handed back their cards.

''Sorry about that.'' She apologised before focusing her attention on Raia. ''It's not every day I meet someone with… such experience under their belt.'' She continued, trying her best not to offend the mummy. ''I'm kind of surprised it isn't written in Hieroglyphics.''

Raia giggled for a moment at the bouncer's comment. ''It's quite alright, just a perk of being undead I guess.''

The woman then stepped to the side to allow them entrance. ''Anyway, welcome to Wild Life, and have a good night.''

With that, Yuuto and Raia made their way inside after paying the entry fee, and soon found themselves on the ground floor of the establishment. It was a wide-open area with the ceiling high enough to encompass the first floor as well, probably to accommodate for the larger liminal species. To their right was the bar which ran half the length of the room, and at the very back was where the DJ had set up their equipment, busting out the latest club tracks as a horde of people danced to their hearts content under the constant flashing lights overhead.

''Wow, this place is packed.'' Yuuto commented was he scanned the room, impressed by what he saw.

''I told you it was popular.'' Raia replied as she wrapped an arm around his. ''Wouldn't be surprised if we ran into someone we know.''

''Hey! Yuuto!''

The pair turned to face where the shouting was coming from, and found Polt quickly making her way towards them, waving her arm at them as her tail wagged frantically. She was wearing a short-sleeved light green cold-shoulder top, tight fitting black shorts, and a pair of white sandals. Following behind her was a kobold man whose brown fur was slightly darker than Polt's, and he was wearing a black dress shirt that barely contained his broad chest and well-toned muscles, as well as a pair of dark grey jeans, and black leather shoes.

''Hey Polt. Can't say I expected to see you here.'' The blonde replied before the kobold woman in question wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her cheek against his.

''It's so good to see you.'' She responded as before she separated herself from the human. ''As for why I'm here, me and my business associate here are taking a well-earned night off from work.'' She continued as she gestured towards the kobold man standing to her side. ''This is Korbin, and he's the owner of the Wild Life franchise.''

''Hi there, it's nice to meet a friend of Polt's.'' Korbin said in a jovial tone as he extended a padded hand towards the MON operative. ''I hope you enjoy your night here at our latest branch.'' He added with a prideful grin.

Yuuto smiled back at him as he took the kobold's hand. ''Hey, I'm Yuuto Kazama, and my friend here is Raia.'' He said while glancing towards the mummy who was still wrapped around his arm.

''It's a pleasure, and may I say this club is one of the better ones I've been to so far.'' Raia said as she gave the club's owner a polite smile.

''Well, it's always good to hear someone enjoying themselves.'' Korbin replied as he rubbed the back of his head, his tail swaying from side to side and his ears perked up.

''This might come as a surprise to you, Korbin, but Yuuto and Raia here are members of MON's recently established Bravo Squad.'' Polt spoke up as she patted Yuuto on the back.

''You don't say.'' He answered in genuine surprise before focusing his attentions towards the human and mummy pair. ''Well, I guess I have you two to thank for dealing with our most recent problem with the local goblins. Might've put a stinker on this place had they still been hijacking customer's cars and all.''

''It's no problem, just doing our jobs.'' Yuuto replied modestly as he rubbed the back of his head.

''Yeah, we're just glad we could help out.'' Raia added as she waved at hand at his dismissively.

''Oh nonsense! You guys have done a great service for Shibuya!'' The owner exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around the back of their heads as he escorted them towards the bar, much to the surprise of the MON operatives. ''Allow me to offer you two an employee discount while you're here tonight! Hell, first drinks are on me!''

''Err, thank Korbin.'' The blonde replied in an embarrassed tone.

Raia wasn't pleased that her alone time with Yuuto had been intruded by a pair of overly excitable kobolds, but she could hardly turn down free drinks and discounts, so she decided to endure for now, even as a look of annoyance graced her face.

* * *

Some time had passed after they got their drinks, and they'd spent a good portion of it listening to the owner waffle on about his future plans for Wild Life, and many of his other business ventures. Thankfully with Polt's help, the human and mummy pair were finally able to excuse themselves and said their goodbyes to the two kobolds. Raia wasted no time as she grabbed her captain by the hand and escorted him towards the dance floor.

''As nice as Korbin is, he sure loves to drone on about his business ventures…'' The mummy said unenthusiastically before she let out a sigh of relief.

''To be fair, his efforts are making a positive impact on human-liminal relations.'' Her date replied in defence of the kobold.

''Well, I didn't come here tonight to talk business.'' She replied as she turned to face him once they reached their destination, giving him a seductive look. ''I came here to have fun with you.''

As she said that, the DJ had started up a new track, and the mummy stepped back from her date, ready to show him just what she was capable of. As the music started playing, she started to move in sync with the beat, her arms and legs moving gracefully to the rhythm. Yuuto was impressed with the way she moved, and he soon started swaying to the music himself. As the song continued, Raia extended several straps of bandages from her arms and back, the wrappings swaying alongside her like cobras under the hypnotic tunes of a snake charmer. People on the dance floor started taking notice of the mummy's spectacle, all entranced by her rhythmic movements. Throughout the song, the mummy kept her gaze fixated on her captain, determined to win his affections as she continued to dance seductively for him and him alone. The human continued to watch her with a sense of awe as the track started to draw to a close, Raia finishing her performance by holding her head high, extending her arms to the side alongside her wrappings. As the song finished, the crowd around them applauded the spectacle with whoops and cheers from all sides. The mummy took several deep breaths as she eyed up the blonde operative, lowering her arms and retracting her wrappings before straightening herself out, giving him a confident and sexy smile as she did so.

''Damn, that was pretty impressive Raia.'' Yuuto commented as he smiled back at her.

Without uttering a word, she shot a strap of wrapping at the human, wrapping it around his waist before pulling him towards her, much to his surprise. He was soon right in front of her and she pressed herself against the blonde's chest, snaking her arms around his waist as she gave him the 'bedroom' eyes.

She rested her chin on the crook of his neck as she whispered seductively into his ear. ''I can show you so much more, Medjay.''

His look of surprise was soon replaced with a dour expression on his face, unimpressed by her attempts to seduce him. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back as he looked her in the eye, his squad mate giving him a despondent look.

''Raia, I…''

''HEY! BEESH!''

The pair were interrupted by a bellowing yell of their zombie co-worker, surprised by her sudden appearance. They both turned to face where it came from to find Zombina quickly making her way towards them, waving her arm frantically at them with her signature grin plastered on her face. She was wearing a red tank top under a grey denim jacket, blue denim shorts, and a pair of brown boots.

'' _What is she doing here?! Doesn't she know we're on a date?!''_ Raia complained mentally to herself as she gave the zombie a disapproving look.

''Zee?!'' Yuuto exclaimed in surprise, distracted from his conversation with his squad mate.

Zombina rushed over to them before wrapping her arms around the human and pulling him into a tight hug, much to Raia's annoyance. ''Didn't expect to see you guys here! Is this place rockin' or what?!'' She exclaimed as she loosened her grip and locked eyes with him.

''Yeah, I'm just surprised you're here by yourself.''

''So, this is your Beeshii, huh?'' A new voice spoke from right behind Yuuto and Raia.

The human and mummy pair jumped back in surprise at the new arrival. They turned around to see a woman with pale-purple skin and deep indigo hair with a very long braid going down her back which was tied with a red ribbon on the end. Her eyes were a deep crimson which seemed to pierce into their souls as she gave them a smirk full of sharp fangs. The girl was wearing what looked like Chinese burial clothes, which consisted of a white sleeveless top, as well as a black skirt, black loose sleeves, black corset, black thigh-high stockings and black oriental hat with a red puff ball on top, all of which had gold patterns, as well as a pair of black flat shoes.

''Ni hao!'' The girl exclaimed as she waved a hand at the group.

''Is she a friend of yours?'' Yuuto asked as he looked back at the zombie still clinging to him.

''Oh, yeah!'' She replied as she broke the hug with him and wrapped an arm around the back of the girl's neck. ''This troublemaker here is Shiishii, she's a Jiang Shi.''

''Hey, I'm Yuuto.'' He said to the jiang shi as he waved a hand at her, giving her a polite smile.

Raia merely stared daggers at her, though Shiishii paid her no notice as she was focused on the blonde in front of her.

The jiang shi suddenly moved away from Zombina and stood herself right in front of Yuuto, looking into his eyes with morbid curiosity. ''Zombina, you weren't kidding when you said he was a total pretty boy.'' Shiishii said to the zombie with her eyes still locked with the human's gaze.

''Damn right he is!'' Zombina exclaimed with a sense of pride.

''Sorry, but do you two mind?'' The mummy finally spoke up in an irritated tone, the scowl on her face evident by this point. ''Medjay and I are trying to have a date here.''

''What's the problem, Wraps? Just wanted to say hi is all.'' Zombina replied, making light of the situation as she gave the mummy a massive grin.

''Looks like she's trying to get ghost marriage with Beeshii here.'' Shiishii commented, which caused the blonde to blush bright red.

''Fat chance! The guy already has a girlfriend! I bet she juMMMFFFPPPHHH!'' The zombie was quickly silenced as Raia covered her mouth with her wrappings.

''Zombina, a word please?'' The mummy said in a grim tone before dragging the red head off to the women's restroom, Zombina struggling to shout through the bandages the whole way.

''Girls, hold up a sec!'' Yuuto exclaimed as he tried to stop them, but Shiishii grabbed a hold of his arm and stopped him where he was as she stepped in front of him.

''Best for a guy not to get involved in cat fights.'' She said to him with a grin on her face. ''I'm sure they'll be fine.''

''If you say so.'' He replied with a hint of concern as he rubbed the back of his head. ''Sorry about them, they're not normally like this with each other.''

''It's alright, I've seen worse.'' The jiang shi replied before giving the human a playful smile. ''Now Beeshii, I have to know. Are you a Seme or an Uke?''

Yuuto raised an eyebrow at the girl, giving her a questioning look. ''Don't tell me, you're a Fujoshi too?''

Shiishii nodded at him as her grin widened. ''Yep, and I think you and Loveraboi would make a great couple too!'' She replied as she pressed her hands to her now reddened cheeks. ''But the problem is that I don't know who to make the Seme and who to make the Uke…'' The jiang shi continued as a puzzled look now crossed her face.

The blonde let out a defeated shy to himself, realising that the girl was trying to ship him and Kimihito for whatever reason. _''Damn it Zee, you'd better get back here quick…''_

* * *

Raia and Zombina were finally inside the women's restroom, and thankfully for the mummy, it was only the two of them in there. The mummy finally removed her wrappings from the red-head's mouth as she gave her an irritated look.

''The fuck's your problem, Wraps?!'' Zombina exclaimed at the mummy, her temper flared by the woman's behaviour.

''My problem?!'' Raia shouted back as she soon lost her temper with the zombie. ''I'm not the one who's barging in on someone else's date!''

''Well, excuse me, Princess, for saying hi to my best friend! I didn't even know you guys would be here tonight!'' The zombie shouted in self-defence. ''And besides, why're you trying to hit him up anyway?! You know he has Headless already!''

''Yeah, and that hasn't stopped you from smothering him whenever you get the chance! He's already turned you down once last time I checked!'' Raia yelled back as she was now staring daggers at her.

Zombina's face went red at her accusation, but she could hardly deny it. She still had strong feelings for Yuuto, but she knew that he had already moved on, not that they had any form of romantic relationship to begin with.

''I just like teasing him, alright?! It's totally obvious that you're trying to steal him away from Headless!''

''Like you'd understand how I feel…'' Raia replied as she broke eye contact with the red head.

''I know you like him, but he isn't yours!'' The zombie yelled as she banged a fist against the wall.

''He was mine to begin with!'' The mummy shouted back as tears started rolling down her cheeks.

The rage-filled look on Zombina's face was soon replaced with one of confusion, now quite understanding what her fellow undead co-worker was on about. ''The fuck are you talking about? You've only known him for a few weeks at best.''

Raia started to calm down too as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. ''You've heard of reincarnation, haven't you?''

Zombina merely nodded in response.

''Someone I cared for died trying to protect me back when I was alive, and the thing is, Medjay looks, sounds, and even acts like the man that I loved so long ago. There's no way my Medjay didn't come back as my captain, it has to be him…'' The mummy said as tears continued to trickle down her cheeks.

''So, what if Beesh is your old lover reborn? It's still his decision at the end of the day, not yours.'' Zombina responded with a serious look on her face.

''I know, but… but if he can remember…''

''Have you even told him?''

Raia's eyes widened at the zombie's question as she locked eyes with her again. ''Do you think he'd believe me if I told him all that?'' She asked her with a hint of scepticism.

Zombina snickered to herself for a moment before letting out a gut-wrenching laugh, much to the bemusement of the mummy. ''Are you kidding me?! We live in a world full of fantasy creatures! If we're able to exist, and if what Headless says about the afterlife is true, then I doubt reincarnation is that far of a stretch!'' She exclaimed before laughing to herself once more, wrapping her arms around her own waist to keep her stitches from coming apart.

Raia was sent through a loop. Not moments ago, she was having a shouting match with the zombie. Now though, it felt like all the tension between the had been defused. After a moment, Zombina finally calmed down and locked eyes with the mummy again.

''I would worry about it, Raia. Beesh is a pretty understanding guy, has to be to put up with us all the time.'' She said as she approached the mummy and wrapped an arm around the back of her neck. ''But you'll never find out how he'll react until you tell him, right?''

Raia stared at her for a moment, still bemused by the zombie's change in attitude, but eventually she broke eye contact and smirked to herself, now confident that telling Yuuto what she just told Zombina was the right thing to do. ''Yeah, I think I've kept enough secrets from him. He deserves to know.''

With that, the pair walked out of the restroom, finally making up after their little tirade. Once out, they started looking for both Yuuto and Shiishii, though they were currently nowhere to be seen.

''Where the hell did those two run off to?'' Zombina questioned as she scanned the crowd for them. ''They're not exactly hard to find.''

As they were looking for them, Raia finally spotted the pair seated by the bar, Yuuto with a beer, and Shiishii with a glass of red wine. ''They're at the bar.'' She replied as she made her way towards them.

''Hey! Wait for me!''

Back at the bar, Yuuto had gotten himself into a deep discussion with the jiang shi, trying to find out more about her. ''You practice Tai Chi every morning?'' He asked the girl with a quizzical look.

''Yep, got to keep Rigor Mortis at bay, otherwise my joints get stiff.'' Shiishii replied before taking a sip of her wine.

''Yeah, otherwise she'll be hopping around everywhere looking like she's about to pounce on someone!'' Zombina exclaimed, causing the jiang shi to spurt out her drink, which unfortunately sprayed all over the blonde operative.

''Curse you Zombina! You're no better!'' Shiishii exclaimed in annoyance.

Yuuto was busy wiping wine off himself as the two undead women bickered with each other. As he was doing so, a strap of linen bandage wiped his forehead of the beverage. He looked to his side to see Raia with a solemn look on her face.

''You alright Raia?'' He asked, his voice laced with concern.

''Medjay…'' The mummy said, trying to find the right words to say to him. ''Can we talk, alone?''

Yuuto smiled at her as he got out of his seat. ''Sure.'' He replied as he extended a hand to her.

Raia smiled back at him and took his hand before she started guiding him towards the stairs to the upper floors. ''Thanks. I doubt there'll be many people on the roof top, so let's talk there.''

Both Zombina and Shiishii stopped their bickering as they noticed the pair leaving to head upstairs. ''Where're they off to? Did I say something?'' The jiang shi asked, worried she might've offended them.

''You did nothing wrong, they just need to talk about some stuff.'' The zombie replied as she sat on the stool Yuuto was sitting in moments before, soon turning back to face her undead friend. ''Anyway, what do you think of Beesh. ''She asked, flashing her signature grin.

Shiishii smirked back at her as her face took on a mischievous look. ''He's definitely a Seme.''

''I fucking told you so!'' Zombina exclaimed triumphantly.

* * *

Yuuto and Raia soon found themselves on the roof top of the establishment, the area having its own bar with many tables and chairs scattered around in the space, half the area covered by a canopy and the other half left open to the elements with railings going along the edges of the roof top. There weren't many people up here despite the good weather, the night sky filled with brightly shining stars. Raia continued to lead Yuuto until they reached the railings at the edge of the roof, being as far as they could be from prying eyes. The mummy let go of his hand and rested her arms on the railings, looking up to the sky with a sense of awe.

''The sky here is really beautiful, don't you think?'' Raia muttered out loud, trying to ease the tension between them.

''It is, though I doubt that's why you brought me up here.'' The blonde replied as he placed his hands on the railings and leant against it before turning his head to face his mummy squad mate. ''It wouldn't happen to be about why you're acting so weird tonight, would it?''

Raia looked him in the eye as a smirk appeared on her lips. ''Nothing gets past you, does it?''

''Can you just tell me why you're making such a big deal out of this date? You know I have Lala already.'' The human responded in a serious tone, wanting to get to the bottom of the situation.

She let out a defeated sigh as she composed herself for what she wanted to say to her squad captain, ready to confide in him. ''Tell me Medjay, do you believe in reincarnation?''

Yuuto quirked an eyebrow at her over the seemingly random question. ''Well, considering everything that's happened since liminals were first introduced to humanity, and everything I've learned from Lala, I guess it isn't outside the realm of possibility.''

''Okay, what if I told you there was a strong possibility that you were the reincarnation of someone I had strong feelings for when I was alive?'' Raia asked in all seriousness.

The human's eyes shot wide open, not quite believing what the mummy was saying. ''Wait, me? Seriously?'' He replied in disbelief.

She nodded her head in response. ''I know it's hard to believe, but I'm certain that you are his reincarnation.''

''Okay, I need to ask. How close were you two?''

''We were practically lovers.'' The mummy said as her cheeks went red.

Yuuto's cheeks also went red as she mentioned that little fact. Now it made sense why she was always clingy around him, but he didn't understand why she didn't say anything sooner.

Raia took a deep breath before she started speaking again, recalling the memories of her time with the man she loved so long ago. ''Back when I was the princess of Egypt, my parents had me under protection at all times for fear I would be targeted by the enemies of our empire. The man that they chose to guard over me was a skilled warrior, but he was a kind-hearted soul too. After a while, we started to have feelings for one another, and soon after that we started to get intimate when no one was looking.'' A sad smile crossed her lips as she continued to talk, but soon her face turned downcast again as she recalled the unfortunate events which would eventually lead to her un-life. ''One day though, I was attacked by an assassin in my own quarters, but my Medjay was there to protect me. He fought so valiantly, but the assassin eventually overpowered him and killed him like it was nothing.'' Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she replayed the memory in her mind. ''I rushed to his side as he was dying. He told me to run, but I refused to leave his side. He died in my arms, Medjay, and I was murdered in cold blood soon after.'' She then locked eyes with her captain again as a sad smile appeared on her face again. ''I look at you, and all I see is him staring back at me. I'm so convinced that he came back as you, it had to be fate that we met again after all these centuries. That's why I'm so determined to be with you.''

The blonde broke eye contact with her, a solemn look crossing his face after what he heard from his squad mate. ''Okay, maybe I am the reincarnation of this Medjay of yours, but I'm sorry. I know this is hard for you to hear, but I can't be with you.''

Raia felt her heart break at those words, and she turned away from him, resting her head in her arms as she let her sorrow wash over her. ''I had a feeling you'd say that. Can't say I'm surprised.'' She said as tears continued to flow from her eyes.

To her surprise, Yuuto got in close and wrapped an arm around her back, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. ''But, if you need a friend who'll look out for you, then I'll be here for you. I want to do that much for you at least.'' He replied as he looked down at her and gave her a warm smile.

The mummy looked back up at him, surprised by his actions, though she shouldn't be considering who it was she was talking to. She soon smiled back at him before she leant into him resting her head against his shoulder as she nuzzled up against him just under his chin. ''You really are the sweetest guy sometimes, even if you aren't my Medjay.'' She said before she lifted her head to lock eyes with him again. ''Though, I hope you wouldn't mind if I still call you Medjay after all this.''

''Sure, I don't mind. Though, I think it's fair if I give you one too.'' He responded, giving her a cheeky grin.

''What did you have in mind?'' She asked as she smirked at him.

The human pondered for a moment before giving his answer. ''I was thinking Cleo. Sorry, but I couldn't think of anything better.'' He said as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

Raia giggled to herself before she separated herself from him. ''You're lucky I like you so much, otherwise I'd have to punish you.''

''Oh, lucky me…'' He said sarcastically to himself.

Before he realised it, Raia had wrapped one of her bandages around his wrist and pulled him towards her until they were holding hands again. ''Lucky you indeed. Anyway, let's go enjoy ourselves, the night is still young.'' She said with a warm smile as she started leading him back down stairs.

''Yeah, better check on Zee and Shiishii though. No telling what trouble they've gotten into while we've been gone.'' He replied as he sighed to himself.

''Well, worst comes to worst, I'll make sure that they get the punishment they deserve.'' She responded as a sinister grin crossed her lips.

''That's what I'm afraid of…''

This may not have been the outcome the mummy was hoping for, but at least for the foreseeable future, she still had her precious Medjay by her side.

* * *

A/N: And that's another date finished! First off, I want to thank Natron77, the author of Monster Yurisume, for letting me reference Wild Life and a few other things from their story. Seriously, if you haven't read it yet, do it! You'll be missing out on one hell of a story otherwise, though you'll have a lot of catching up to do.

Also, I've just realised it, but I've been writing this story for eleven months now. I wrote and posted my first chapter on here back on the 10th April 2017, and I can't believe it's gotten the attention it has in such a short time. So, with the anniversary coming up, I was thinking of doing a Q&A special with my OC's (Yuuto, Blare, Kasumi, Kestria, Raia, and Vee mainly, as well as a few other mainstay characters in the story). So, if you're interested, feel free to PM me your questions about them or the story for them (and possibly me, the author as well) to answer. Think it'll be a fun thing to do for the anniversary, though I'll only do it if you guys are interested.

Finally, I know, but this chapter has been a bit of a downer chapter this time round, but I felt it'd give Raia a legitimate reason to be interested in Yuuto in the first place outside of him being attractive and talented (as well as the dreaded Main Character Syndrome). Hopefully, this'll help flesh out our mummy a bit more, outside of just being a sadist. After this, it'll be the date with the original MON girls, so look forward to that.

As always, follow and favourite if you've enjoyed the story so far, and feel free to drop a review or any suggestions if you feel it's needed.

Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you next time on MON -Squad Bravo!


	29. The Quadruple Date Fiasco (Part 1)

It had been a hectic week so far for Yuuto Kazama, considering he had taken out all his squad mates on dates, and he was glad when Friday rolled around. He had anticipated that Zombina would just want to hang out nearby and go catch a movie together, though when he met up with her at their meeting point, he was surprised to see Tio, Manako, and Doppel with the zombie, all seated at the same table in one of the local cafes. There he would find out that this would be his most hectic day yet.

''You want me to do what?!'' The blonde exclaimed at the group, not happy to hear what the red-head of the group had planned for him.

''I said you're gonna take us all out on dates today!'' Zombina exclaimed boisterously back at him with her signature grin.

''I'm sorry, Kazama-san.'' Manako apologised to him in her usually meek tone. ''I tried to talk her out of it, but she was having none of it, as per usual.''

''Oh Mana-chan, don't be so glum about it.'' Tio chirped while giving the monoeye a warm smile. ''Just roll with it and have fun, I know I will.''

''Besides, it's always fun to make Newbie blush.'' Doppel added with a mischievous grin crossing her lips.

The human of the group sighed to himself before looking back down at the group with furrowed eyes from where he was standing. ''I already feel exhausted from going on dates four days in a row now. Don't you think another four dates on top of that, on the same day I may add is asking a bit much, even for me?''

''What's the problem, Beesh?! You're gonna have a blast today! And besides, don't you wanna get them over a done with so you can do it with Headless?!'' The zombie practically shouted for the whole world to hear.

Yuuto's cheeks went red at her comment. He couldn't deny that he wanted this whole dating situation out of the way so he could spend time with Lala again, but he would've appreciated it if the undead woman in front of him hadn't practically told everyone in the vicinity of them that he was dating a liminal.

''Well, yeah. I'd like that very much.'' He said in an embarrassed tone as he broke eye contact with the girls of Squad Alpha. ''I just wish I didn't have to jump through all these hoops for Ms Smith, just so I can legally be with my girlfriend.''

''I canna condone the actions o' the Organization meself, but if it leads tae our inevitable union, then I am willing tae support ye through yer trial ahead.'' Lala spoke up from behind her boyfriend from seemingly out of nowhere.

Yuuto causally turned to face her, unsurprised by her sudden appearances by now, and gave her a loving smile. ''Hey Babe. What're you doing here?'' He asked as the pair embraced each other.

Lala smiled to herself as she nuzzled up against him. ''The undying one asked me tae witness the unfolding events that ye are about tae partake in.'' She replied before pulling back to kiss her boyfriend on the lips.

Yuuto gave her a confused look before turning his attention towards the zombie. ''Zee, you invited Lala too?''

''Hell yeah, I did! Seeing this is your last day of dating us, I thought it'd be a good idea for Headless to come along, just so she knows we're not trying to bang you!''

Manako's face went bright red upon hearing what her captain had just said out loud. ''Must you be so crude?! We're out in public!'' She exclaimed in an embarrassed tone.

''Doubt she even gives a fuck.'' Doppel said to the monoeye, an amused grin evident on her face. ''I think she prefers to take it.''

Zombina was laughing her head off at the doppelganger's wisecrack, much to Manako's disapproval.

*Sigh* ''Have you two no shame?'' The meek girl muttered to herself in a defeated tone.

Lala smirked to herself as she separated herself from the human, placing a hand over her face as she shifted back into her reaper persona. ''It pleases me tae hear that ye have nay intentions tae interfere with our union. Ye have me deepest gratitude.''

''Ooh, I can't wait for our date, Sweetie!'' Tio exclaimed joyfully from her seat. ''It's going to be so much fun!''

''Alright, let's get this started!'' the zombie shouted out as she jumped out of her seat and produced six earpieces from the pocket of her bomber jacket. ''I'm gonna need all of you to take one of these so we can keep tabs on everyone.''

Everyone there took an earpiece each as the red head passed them around. Yuuto and Lala took theirs, though the dullahan looked at hers with a sense of confusion, not sure what to make of it.

''Lala, you put that in your ear, then you press your finger to it if you want to talk to us. That way, we can stay in touch.'' The blonde explained to his girlfriend.

''I see. Then this relic will be o' great use tae me.'' She replied as she placed the object in her ear, though she nearly tipped her head off balance as she did so. ''I just wished ye did nay have tae go through this ordeal.'' The continued with concern lacing her voice.

''Well, I doubt there's any way for me to get out of it, so I might as well go with the flow.'' Yuuto replied before turning his attention back to the other MON operatives. ''But I have to ask, who am I taking out first?''

''Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about that, Beesh. We've got everything planned out already.'' Zombina replied with a mischievous grin.

The human just sighed to himself again, ready to face whatever challenges awaited him.

* * *

Yuuto soon found himself out on the high street nearby with his first date. He soon realised that if he wasn't careful, it could very well be his last.

''AHHHH! THOSE CLOTHES ARE SO CUTE~! '' Tio squeed in pure joy as she dragged her date along by the hand. ''C'MON SWEETIE! LET'S GO HAVE A LOOK~! '' Little did the ogress know, she was literally dragging Yuuto across the sidewalk, who was struggling to keep up with her bubbly excitableness.

''Will you calm down a second, Tio?! You're going to kill me here!'' The human yelled back at her in hopes that she'd put an end to this torture.

''OOH! LOOK AT ALL THOSE SWEETS! LET'S GO GET SOME~! '' She continued as she ignored his pleas, unaware of what she was putting him through.

''Seriously, Tio! Time out, time out!''

''OMIGOD! ANM48'S NEW ALBUM IS OUT! I'VE SO GOT TO HAVE IT~! ''

''Fuck sake! Where are the brakes on this thing?!''

As he continued to be treated like a rag doll by his towering co-worker, he noticed a woman walking her dog not far from them. An idea popped into his head which would hopefully be his salvation from this situation he was currently in.

''Hey, Tio! There's a cute dog over there!'' Yuuto yelled as loud as he could to get her attention.

Tio turned to face where he was pointing and saw the woman with the dog. The dog was a tan-furred Shiba Inu wearing a red collar, happy panting as it walked alongside their owner.

''AWWWWW~! '' The ogress squeed as she let go of her date who dropped face first onto the ground and rushed her way to the dog in question. ''WHAT AN ADORABLE WIDDLE PUPPY~! '' She continued as she knelt down to pet the canine, who in turn was nuzzling up against her at the affection it was receiving, while the owner stood there in mild surprise, unsure of how to react to the sudden appearance of the towering ogress. ''WHO'S A GOOD WIDDLE PUPPY?! YES, YOU ARE! YES, YOU ARE~!''

As Tio fussed over the dog, Yuuto slowly got up onto his feet and brushed himself down, taking deep breaths as he did so. ''Geez, I thought I'd be dragged straight into Limbo there…'' He muttered to himself as he rubbed the back of his head.

''Damn Beesh.'' Zombina said through his earpiece with a sense of amazement. ''I knew you were tough, but I'm surprised you survived all that.''

''Well, I have to be to keep up with you girls.'' He replied as he smirked to himself. ''I just hope for my sake Tio takes a chill pill soon.''

''At least try to survive long enough for my date, Newbie. I've got something special planned for us.'' Doppel teased, trying to get a reaction from the human.

''Gee, thanks for your concern, Doppel…''

''Me Love, stay strong. Ye need only tae overcome this trial, and we can finally be free tae be together fer all eternity.'' Lala said in hopes of encouraging her boyfriend.

''You certainly have a way with words, Lala.'' Manako complemented the dullahan. ''I'm actually quite jealous.''

''Anyway Beesh, all I gotta say is that the last thing you wanna do with Tio is resist. Just go with the flow, and you'll be just fine.'' The zombie suggested to her fellow captain, her voice full of confidence.

''If you think that's best…'' Yuuto replied unenthusiastically.

''I know it is! Now get to it, you've got at least three more dates after this one!''

As the blonde operative sighed to himself, Tio came rushing back to his side with a cheerful smile on her face. ''That was such a cute doggy, you should've petted it too, Sweetie.'' She said with a pout on her face.

''Sorry Tio, my mind was elsewhere.'' He replied while rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

''Well, snap out of it, Sweetie. We haven't got long, so let's make the most of it.'' She complained to him as she puffed out her cheeks more.

''Alright, just calm down, will you?'' He replied as he chuckled at the cute face she was making. ''I think that clothes shop you like isn't far from here if I recall, so let's go there next.'' He suggested, hopeful it would brighten up his co-worker's mood.

''Ooh, that's so thoughtful of you, Sweetie~!'' Tio exclaimed before wrapping him into a hug, burying him in between her cleavage. ''We're going to have the best time today~!'' She continued as she started carrying him off towards the shop in question.

The human was struggling to breathe, but he was able to readjust his head so he was looking up at her, and simultaneously increase his air flow. ''Okay, but do you mind letting me go? People might get the wrong idea if you carry me in like this.''

The ogress looked back down at him in confusion, before realising he was still trapped within her fleshy prison. Now embarrassed, she let go of him and stepped back from him as she gave him an apologetic smile, her cheek turning a deep red as she did so. ''Oh, sorry Sweetie.'' She said as she flailed her are apologetically in front of her.

''It's alright.'' He replied, giving her a warm smile. ''Now c'mon, I'll race you there.'' Yuuto jested as he jogged ahead of her, which he would soon regret.

''That sounds great~!'' She exclaimed as she started charging towards him without a single care in the world. ''Last one there is a rotten egg~!''

Suddenly, Zombina started yelling through his earpiece. ''RUN BEESH, RUN!'' She screamed before laughing her ass off, which was a real possibility for the undead girl.

Shock was soon evident on his face as he was now legitimately running for his life. ''Seriously Tio, turn it down a notch!''

* * *

Eventually the pair made it to the shop, the human thankfully out of imminent danger for the time being. Tio spent a great deal of time perusing the store for different outfits while Yuuto followed behind, giving his input when asked. After a while, the ogress took the items she liked into one of the changing cubicles with her while her date waited diligently outside for her, feeling embarrassed as people passing by gave him questioning glances, seeing as the store catered solely for women. Not long after, Tio stepped out wearing a black and white striped long-sleeved top, a long pink frilly skirt that almost reached her ankles, and a pair of tanned high heel shoes.

''So, what do you think, Sweetie? Isn't it adorable~?'' The ogress asked as she twirled around on her tippy toes to show off her outfit.

Yuuto's face went bright red upon seeing her, immediately noticing that the top she was wearing were struggling to contain her assets. ''I think it looks great.'' He replied with a nervous smile, unable to meet her gaze as the top stretched against her large breasts. ''But, don't you think that top's a little… small for you?'' He asked, choosing his words carefully.

The blonde woman pouted at him, unhappy about his comment. ''This is the biggest size they have here, and you know how self-conscious I am about my height.'' She whined as she leant down to be at eye level with him and puffed up her cheeks more. ''Saying stuff like that to a girl is really insensitive, y'know.''

'' _Wait, she's more worried about her height than those massive melons of hers?!''_ The human thought to himself as he glanced back at the towering woman in front of him. ''Yeah, sorry about that, but I want to make sure everything fits you okay, that's all.'' He eventually replied while rubbing the back of his head.

Tio smiled back at him as she returned to her cheery demeanour. ''Oh, that's so sweet of you~'' She chirped as she stood to her full height once again. ''I just really want to look my best for Nikolay.''

Yuuto gave the girl a questioning look. ''Nikolay?''

''Yeah, he's my boyfriend, silly~'' The ogress replied as she held her hands to her now reddened cheeks. ''He's like the sweetest guy I've ever met~''

''BOYFRIEND?!'' Zombina and Doppel shouted through their earpieces, nearly deafening everyone else.

''Since when did you get a boyfriend?! This is the first I've heard of it!'' The zombie continued to yell in an annoyed tone.

''Well, remember when Tio and I said we were meeting up with a friend of ours the other week? That was him…'' Manako replied timidly, explaining the situation to everyone.

''I can't believe you've been holding out on us, Tio! You're definitely spilling the beans on this after we're done with our dates!'' Zombina demanded, not taking no for an answer.

''You can be so bossy sometimes, Bina-chan…''

''Forget about that right now.'' Yuuto spoke up to get the ogress' attention. ''We still got to find you an outfit that'll make Nikolay speechless.''

Tio's face brightened up as soon as the human mentioned her boyfriend, and she headed straight for the changing cubicle with renewed determination. ''You're right Sweetie! I need to find something that make my Puddin the happiest guy in the world~!'' She exclaimed as she skipped her way over.

'' _I keep forgetting how erratic her mood can be sometimes.''_ Yuuto thought to himself as he let a smirk cross his lips.

''Hate to ruin the mood Newbie,but you do remember what happened last time we helped Tio pick out an outfit, right?'' Doppel asked in a teasing tone, to which the smirk on the blonde human's face was instantly replaced with a look of dread.

''Is there some ill-begotten fate that awaits me Love?'' Lala questioned with worry lacing her voice.

''No doubt, but that's Beesh's problem, not ours!'' Zombina replied in a carefree tone.

Suddenly, Tio shot her head out from behind the curtain of the cubicle, he eyes threatening to burst into tears. ''SWEETIE! COME HELP ME!''

'' _Oh, dear God no…''_ He thought to himself, already painfully aware of what was causing the ogress great distress. ''What's the matter, Tio?'' He asked as he made his way to her.

''I can't get this skirt off…'' She whined from within the cubicle, the sounds of her struggle obvious to him now. ''My butt is too big…''

He face-palmed himself, now unable to avoid what would be asked of him by his co-worker. ''…Do you need a hand?'' He asked despairingly.

''If you don't mind, Sweetie…'' She replied in an embarrassed tone.

Yuuto sighed to himself as he made his way to the cubicle. He stepped in to find the ogress struggling to pull her skirt down, her face red from the embarrassing situation she found herself in. His face also went red at seeing the skirt stuck halfway down her rump, not to mention that the woman's pink frilly panties were also clearly visible to him. Yuuto quickly clutched his nose tight as he hurriedly turned his gaze away from them, trying his best to avoid a nosebleed.

''Is everything okay back there?'' Tio asked as she glanced back at him, trying her best to pull the skirt down.

'' _Snap out of it, Yuuto! This isn't your first time seeing panties, so get a grip!''_ The human shouted inwardly at himself as he smacked his cheeks with his hands in an attempt to help him focus. ''Yeah, I'm good.'' He eventually replied as he gripped the waistline of the skirt hard. ''I just need you to do one thing for me.''

''What is it, Sweetie?'' The ogress asked, giving him a questioning look.

''…I need you to hold on to your panties, we don't want a repeat of last time…'' He requested, his face going a deeper shade of red as he broke eye contact with her.

''Oh, good idea Sweetie. You really are smart~'' Tio replied with a cheery smile as she grabbed the back of her panties with one hand, the other still gripping hard to the side of the skirt.

'' _More like common sense…''_ He gripped hard on the waistline and locked eyes with his co-worker again. ''Now, suck your gut in and pull down hard on the count of three, got it?''

She merely nodded back at him.

''Okay, here goes nothing…'' He muttered to himself before taking a deep breath. ''One. Two. Three!''

The pair pulled down on the skirt as hard as they could, and the fabric started sliding down ever so slightly. ''Hey, I think its working!'' Tio shouted in joy.

''It's not over yet! Just one more hard tug should do it!''

They tugged at it one more time, and the skirt came off. Yuuto couldn't help but smirk to himself in satisfaction of a job well done, but the moment was short lived as he glanced up again, his smirk replaced with a look of fear. In their attempt to pull the skirt off, the ogress lost her balance and started toppling backwards towards the human, a look of shock evident on her face.

'' _Oh shit!''_

Before he could react, Tio landed on top of him and the pair were sent crashing to the ground as they fell out of the cubicle. After a moment or two, the ogress sat herself up straight and rubbed the back of her head in pain.

''Owie, that really hurt…'' Tio complained to herself before she started looking around for her date. ''Sweetie, where are you?'' She asked before looking behind her, only to find Yuuto lying flat on his back stuck in an ogre-shaped crater in the ground. ''OH MY GOD! SWEETIE! ARE YOU OKAY?!'' She screamed as she pulled him out of the crater, holding his limp body to her chest as she was on the verge of tears.

Not long after, the blonde human started coughing as he regained consciousness, waking up to see the worried face of his co-worker looking down at him in her arms. ''Oh… hey Tio… Did we get the skirt off?'' He asked between ragged breaths, more concerned about her dilemma than his own wellbeing.

The ogress was filled with joy upon seeing he was alright, before she tightened her arms around him and brought him into a crushing hug, trapping his head in between her cleavage. ''OH, THANK GOODNESS! YOU'RE OKAY!'' She shouted as she loosened her grip on him and looked him in the eye. ''I'M REALLY SORRY ABOUT THAT! I DIDN'T MEAN IT, I SWEAR!''

''Hey, it's okay. I'll live.'' He replied weakly, barely able to sit himself up straight as smiled back at her.

Tio calmed down with the help of his comforting words before bringing him into a lighter hug, gently resting his head against one of her breasts. ''Thank you for today, Sweetie. I've really had a fun time so far.''

Yuuto blushed at the contact between them, though he couldn't deny that he felt really comfortable right now. ''Yeah, me too…''

''TIME'S UP, LOVEBIRDS!'' Zombina shouted through their earpieces, which startled the pair from their peaceful moment.

''Aww, but I haven't finished picking out an outfit yet…'' The ogress whined as she puffed up her cheeks.

''Tough luck, Tio.'' Doppel replied before focusing her attention towards the human of the group. ''Hey Newbie, get your butt into gear and meet me by the entertainment district. And don't even think about making a girl wait.'' She continued in a commanding tone.

Yuuto was still resting his head against Tio's breast as he let out a defeated sigh. _''Ain't no rest for the wicked, is there?''_ He complained inwardly to himself, not looking forward to what the doppelganger might have planned for him.

* * *

Sometime later, Yuuto found himself walking down the nearby entertainment district with his next date for the day, though Doppel had decided to disguise herself as Mako-chan, though this Mako-chan was fairly different from her usual teen witch disguise. The appearance she took on was one of a high school girl with shoulder length black hair which had a long cowlick that stuck up and arched over her head, and the bangs clipped back by a pair of brass hair clips. Her dark brown eyes were framed with a pair of slim black-framed glasses, giving her an air of authority. She was wearing a white dress shirt with a red bow and ruby-like jewel affixed around her collar, which she wore under a dark green school blazer, as well as a light brown plaid skirt, black tights, and a pair of dark brown formal shoes. The blonde didn't exactly feel comfortable walking around with someone who looked like a school girl, though that was exactly the reaction Doppel wanted from him as they walked around aimlessly.

''Okay, serious question Doppel. Why Mako-chan, and how come it's different from your usual Mako-chan disguise?'' Yuuto asked as he felt the stares of people passing them by.

The disguised doppelganger looked back at him with a smirk and lowered her glasses at him. ''Don't you like this new Mako-chan? I thought the manga artist did a great job of her character design this time round, plus she has that mature air to her.'' She said as she used her arms to push up her breasts. ''Unless you're a major Lolicon that is.'' She continued in a suggestive tone, giving him a teasing grin.

''Do I look like a member of the Pioneer Orc Renaissance Kinsmen to you?'' Yuuto asked as he gave her an annoyed look.

Doppel chuckled to herself before she focused on where she was going again. ''Nah, I suppose not. Those pork cutlets are on a whole other level of perverseness than you, makes having a lingerie fetish seem tame in comparison.'' She answered with a massive grin on her face.

*Sigh* ''Seems like everyone in the office knows about it by now…'' He replied as his face went bright red.

''Well, everyone on MON at least.'' The doppelganger responded as she snickered to herself again. ''Anyway, I've got something big planned today, and I need your full cooperation to pull it off.''

''Great, another one of your grand pranks I presume?'' The blonde asked unenthusiastically.

''You know it Newbie, and it's going to be my biggest one yet!'' She exclaimed as she was almost getting giddy just thinking about it. ''You have no idea how long I've been planning it and how much work has gone into it!''

''I just wish you'd worked as hard at the office as you do with your pranks, Doppel…''

''Oh, don't be such a downer. I'll make it worth your while if you help me out.'' She replied as she smiled suggestively at him. ''Maybe I could sort something out for you and Lala sometime~''

Yuuto's eyes shot open at her proposal, not quite believing what she just said. ''Wait, seriously?''

The disguised Doppel stopped suddenly and turned to face him, her face only mere inches away from his. ''Yeah. Whatever you two want and I'll pull whatever strings I can to make it happen.'' She replied, giving him a confident smirk.

''Me Love!'' Lala spoke from his earpiece. ''This is an opportunity we canna ill afford tae turn down! We could finally have a chance tae whatever we desired, and without the Organisation interfering if the shapeshifter stays true tae her word!'' She said rather overenthusiastically compared to the normally dark and foreboding demeanour of her reaper persona.

''You heard her.'' The doppelganger interjected. ''Now, do we have a deal or what?'' She asked as she raised a hand for a handshake, seeking to seal the deal.

Yuuto stared at her for a moment, not sure he could believe what Doppel had told him, but if what she said was true, then he and Lala could finally have a day to themselves without anyone interfering, not his squad mates, Ms Smith, or anyone from the ICEP. After mulling it over, he finally smirked back at his date and took her hand into his own. ''I'll hold you to it.'' The replied as he shook her hand.

''I knew I could count on your help, Newbie.'' She replied before she let go of his hand and took the lead again, with the human following close behind. ''First thing's first, we need to find our target.''

''And who would that be?'' The blonde asked, giving her a questioning look.

Just as they were about to reach the corner of the street, Doppel stopped him before peeking around the corner, motioning Yuuto to do the same. ''Right around here, and precisely on time too.'' She answered as her smirk became a devilish grin.

Yuuto peeked around the corner as well, his curiosity getting the better of him, and he saw a somewhat quiet side street with an old looking theatre just across the street. What had caught his attention was the group of people standing just outside the old building, and low and behold, it was Kimihito and his homestays chatting amongst themselves.

''Wait, they're the target?'' The blonde whispered to his date.

''Yep, Buddy is taking his sweet time picking someone to hook up with, and this lil' prank of mine might just help push things along a bit.'' Doppel replied as she slowly started untangling her hair, now returning to her default form.

''You just want to scare the shit out of them, don't you?'' He asked, giving the woman a knowing look.

She turned her head to face him, a seemingly innocent smile now crossing her lips. ''Wouldn't be much of a prank if I didn't now, would it?''

Yuuto just sighed to himself, but he could hardly back out now after the deal he made with the doppelganger. ''So, what's your plan then?''

Doppel narrowed her eyes at him and gave him a smirk. ''I'm glad you asked.'' She said before she grabbed his hand and guided them down a nearby alleyway where no one could see them. They stopped when they came across a black duffle bag, which the woman picked up and handed over to the human. ''First, I'll need you to change into the outfit in this bag for me.''

Yuuto took the bag from her and crouched down to open it, quickly scanning the contents with a look of confusion. ''The hell is this supposed to be?''

A devilish grin crossed the doppelganger's lips again as she walked up to him and whispered into his ear. ''You'll see. Now, here's the plan…''

* * *

Back outside the theatre, Kimihito and the girls were waiting to see a magic show Ms Smith had told them about, and to their surprise, gave them all tickets for the show, it was almost too good to be true. Still, they couldn't turn down a free show, and the host just put it down to being government expenses to help the advancement of human-liminal relations.

''Yay! This magic show is gonna be great!'' Papi exclaimed excitedly.

''Magic show!'' The blue slime girl exclaimed with an adorable smile on her face.

''Can you little ones quiet down for a second please?'' Rachnera groaned as she was nursing her hangover. ''I think I had a little too much caffeine last night…''

''Well, you only have thyself to blame for thy affliction.'' Centorea replied in an annoyed tone. ''Thou could do with some fresh air.''

''Urrrggghhh, cram it Horse Flesh…''

''Well, I think it's wonderful to go out and see a show once in a while.'' Mero said, clasping her hand together with a sweet smile on her face. ''I wonder how these surface shows will compare to the ones back home.''

''Compared to what you might be used to, probably not as grand…'' Kimihito answered as he rubbed the back of his head. ''Still, it's nice of Ms Smith to offer us tickets for the show, but it's a shame Lala couldn't come with us.''

''Oh, forget about that drama queen, Darling.'' Miia interjected as she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her breasts against his back. ''We can enjoy the show without her, and besides, she's probably having more fun with Kazama-kun anyway.'' She continued as she started slowly wrapping her tail around her host.

''Well, what a pleasant surprise to see you here, my dearest Miia!''

The group turned to face the source of the disturbance to find a very androgynous looking dragonewt with short styled blonde hair with a long fringe and bangs. Their blue eyes dazzled with confidence as they unfurled their large green draconic wings, whipping their long green reptilian tail from side to side as they ran their scaly green hands through their hair. They were wearing a maroon dress shirt, black trousers, and a pair of white trainers, as well as holding a light brown trench coat under their arm.

''Oh, hey Draco…'' Miia muttered unenthusiastically as she shielded herself behind Kimihito, rather not wanting to deal with the pest of a dragonewt.

''It's been a while Draco, but shouldn't you be with your host family?'' The human host questioned, which caused the dragonewt to sneer at him.

''I'll have you know, human, that I have an IAP now!'' Draco exclaimed, pulling the ID card out from her purse. ''A proud dragonewt such as myself cannot be confined by your feeble laws!''

''Look Draco, I don't really care.'' Miia interjected from behind her Darling. ''Try anything weird, and I'll tell Miss Smith you've been creeping on me and Liz again.'' She spat with a hint of venom in her voice.

All the bravado and confidence the dragonewt possessed earlier had deflated after hearing the lamia's threat, and she started to break down and tears started trickling down her scaled cheeks. ''B-B-But Miia, I just want to make up for what I've done!'' Draco exclaimed in distress, practically pleading to her lamian crush.

''Aww, don't be said mister pretty boy.'' Papi chirped in an attempt to comfort the dragonewt. ''I'm sure this magic show will make you feel better.''

''Boy?! But I'm a girl!'' She exclaimed in embarrassment.

Suddenly, Draco found herself tied up in spider's silk in a diamond pattern which accentuated her particularly small breasts, with her mouth gagged and her wings and tail tied together so they couldn't thrash. Rachnera then skittered up behind the poor girl and placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to look into her six crimson eyes as a look of panic took over the dragonewt's face.

''Oh, so you are a girl, and a naughty one at that from what I hear.'' The arachne drawled with a sinister grin on her face, which sent a cold shiver down Draco's spine. ''And you know what we do with naughty girls, right?''

Draco was struggling as hard as she could, but alas, her efforts were in vain as she screams of panic were muffled by the gag.

Kimihito sighed to himself before he interrupted the pair. ''Rachnee, can you stop scaring her please? I don't think she's here to cause any trouble.'' He said as he gave the arachne a stern look.

Rachnera stared wide-eyed at him for a moment before cutting the girl free and skittered away from her in a huff. ''I was just having some fun, Honey…'' She moped about having her teasing interrupted.

Draco was on her hands and knees as she slowly recovered from her assault as she took in several deep breaths to calm herself down. As she did so, Kimihito walked up to her and crouched down to see if she was okay.

''Are you alright, Draco?'' He asked with a concerned look on his face.

The dragonewt looked up and sneered at him again, though as she glanced behind the human, she saw Miia giving her a disapproving look, which instantly caused her anger to dissipate, leaving her with a solemn look on her face. Guilt-ridden, she turned back to the host and bashfully nodded in response.

''That's good to hear.'' Kimihito said with a smile on his face as he offered her his hand to help her up. ''Here, let me help you.''

Draco was reluctant at first, but still feeling the lamia's gaze on her, she eventually accepted and placed her hand in his as a blush appeared on her face, unable to look the human in the eye. Kimihito proceeded to help the dragonewt up, but as soon as she was on her feet, she pulled her hand away and crossed her arms in front of her chest with a huff as she broke eye contact with him.

''I didn't need your help, just so you know…'' She muttered in a low tone, embarrassed that she let herself be help by the man in front of her.

''Oh, alright…'' Kimihito replied as he rubbed the back of his head.

Miia suddenly pressed herself against the host's back again as she snaked her arms around his waist. ''Forget about her, they should be letting us in for the show soon anyway.'' She said as she put on her biggest smile for him.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, and he pulled the tickets for the show out of her trouser pocket. ''Speaking of which…'' He said as he directed his attention towards the dragonewt again. ''Draco, do you want to join us? We have a spare ticket if you're interested.''

Draco's eyes went wide in surprise, not quite believing what the human had offered her. ''Really?! You mean it?!'' She exclaimed as tears started welling up in the corners of her eyes, hopeful for the chance to make up with the lamia in front of her.

''Darling, you can't be serious!'' Miia yelled in shock. ''Have you forgotten what she did to me?!''

''No, I haven't, but it's obvious that Draco wants to make it up to you. It's only fair to give her a chance, I mean look at her.''

The lamia redirected her focus towards Draco, the dragonewt's eyes pleading to be given a chance to make up for the wrong she did. The blonde girl only wished to make a friend, and Miia couldn't help but pity her. Eventually, she relented and decided to trust Kimihito's decision.

''Well, if you thinks it's a good idea Darling, then- ''

''WELCOME!''

The group jumped at the sudden yell, now looking towards the entrance of the theatre. Standing in front of them were a pair of humans, who they presumed were part of the show they were going to see. The man had long white hair, blue eyes, and a thin white curly moustache, and was wearing a black tuxedo with a white dress shirt underneath, a red bowtie, a long cape which was black on the outside and red on the inside, and a black top hat with a red strap on the rim of the hat. The woman had long curly blonde hair and hazel eyes and was wearing an extravagant silver sequin dress which reached just above her ankles, as well as a pair of matching silver sequin high heels. Both of them had massive grins on their faces as Kimihito and the girls just stared at the pair in confusion.

''Greetings my dear audience!'' The man exclaimed as he gave the group a deep bow. ''I am the Great Imitazioni and thank you all for coming so far to see my show!''

''Wow, he must be the Magic Guy!'' Papi shouted as she waved her wings in the air excitedly.

''He's called a Magician, Papi.'' Kimihito corrected the blue-haired harpy.

''My apologies for keeping you all waiting, so when you're ready, please follow us in.'' The magician said as he started making his way into the theatre.

Kimihito and his homestays obliged and started following him in, though Draco was a little hesitant to do the same. Soon the woman in the sequin dress came up behind her and started pushing the dragonewt towards the theatre entrance.

''Don't be shy Sir, you don't want to miss the show.'' The blonde human said with a polite smile.

''But I'm a girl!'' Draco exclaimed in irritation, her wings unfurling in anger.

''Oh, I do apologise, Madam. It's hard to tell with the way you dress.'' The woman replied. ''But still, don't you want to see the show with your friends?''

Draco's face went a deep red at the question, being both embarrassed and happy to hear the woman call the others her friends. ''Well, yeah, I guess…'' She replied in a timid tone.

''Good. Now let's get you inside then.''

The dragonewt nodded in response before being escorted by the woman into the theatre. Once inside, the pair made their way to the theatre proper, the room itself was based off a western stage, with rows upon rows for seats lining the room. At the front near the stage, Kimihito and his group had all taken their seats where the were able to, with Centorea and Mero forced to sit in the isles while Rachnera decided to weave and hang up a hammock above the others, making herself comfy as she stretched her legs out. Draco was eventually led to the front, where there was a spare seat between where Miia sat and where Mero had parked her wheelchair in the isle.

''Oh, it is good to see that you've decided to join us, Miss Draco.'' The mermaid said as she gave the dragonewt a warm smile. ''Please, do take a seat.''

''Yeah, go on ahead.'' The blonde human added before making her way backstage. ''I need to get ready myself.''

As the woman walked off, Draco hesitantly took her seat next to Miia, though she was unnerved by the harsh gaze the lamia was giving her. She couldn't exactly blame her after what happened between them, but she hoped that they'd eventually get past it. The dragonewt wanted to say something to help ease the tension between them, though from what she gathered, Miia didn't want to hear any of it, so Draco decided to keep quiet for the time being until her mood improved.

Miia decided to turn her attention back to her host who was sitting right next to her. ''Darling, is it me, or do you think this theatre looks a little rundown to you?'' She asked with a look of concern on her face.

''Hmmm…'' The human hummed to himself as he took in his surroundings. ''Now that you mention it, it looks like it hasn't been cleaned in a while.''

''Who cares about that?!'' Papi yelled excitedly from the other side of him. ''I just want the show to start already! This is gonna be awesome!''

''Awesome!'' Suu exclaimed from her seat next to the harpy.

Suddenly, the overhead lights for the stage lit up, and the velvet curtains drew open as music started to play in the background. On the stage were the magician and presumable his assistant they met outside earlier, along with several pieces of equipment that were to be used throughout the performance.

''Welcome, one and all, to Imitazioni's House of Illusions!'' The man exclaimed overdramatically with his arms spread wide open. ''Here, nothing is as it seems as you bear witness to some of the greatest feats of magic known to man and liminal kind! Helping me will be my lovely assistant, Jezebel!'' He continued as he motioned a hand towards the woman standing next to him, who in turn gave a curly with a wide smile on her face.

The majority of the small audience clapped in response, though Rachnera just gave a bored look as she lay in her hammock, trying to stifle a yawn, while Centorea took notice of the fact that they were in only people in the theatre, which she found odd.

''Now, without further ado, let us commence!'' He shouted as he drew their attention to a rectangular box stood atop several wheeled stilts. ''First, we have a classic, and a personal favourite of mine! My assistant will lay herself in the box, as a proceed to saw her in half!''

''Oh no!'' Papi exclaimed with worry.

''Are you seriously going to dismember her right off the bat?!'' Miia shouted as her face went pale, her fear of dismemberment becoming clear.

''Worry not young ladies, my assistant has done this many times and has come out unscathed!'' He replied as Jezebel entered the aforementioned box, her head and her feet sticking out from either end. Imitazioni then proceeded to shut the lid of the box, and picked up a pair of dividing panels, one in each hand. ''As you can see, I will use these dividing panels to sever Jezebel in half! For most people, it would certainly mean death! But, in the House of Illusions, this is merely another state of being!'' With that, the magician promptly thrust both panels through the top of the box, right down the mid-section.

Apart from Rachnera, the group let out an audible gasp, fearing for the woman's safety.

The magician then proceeded to unlatch several catches on the box and pulled both halves apart. He spun both halves around to show the successful dismemberment, as his assistant gave the audience a wide grin to show that she was okay. Kimihito and most of the girls clapped in applause, though Rachnera merely let out a yawn, unimpressed by the simply trick. Both Miia's and Draco's faces had gone pale as a result.

''How do people find this sort of stuff entertaining?'' The lamia asked out loud.

''Why is it always the guy sawing the girl in half?!'' The dragonewt exclaimed in annoyance. ''I bet he doesn't have the balls to be cut in half himself!''

''Wait, that's your problem?'' Miia said as she gave her fellow reptilian a look of disbelief.

After a moment, the magician latched the two halves of the box back together before pulling out the dividing panels again. Jezebel soon stepped out of the box unharmed with Imitazioni's help before the pair gave a deep bow to the audience.

''Wow, that was amazing!'' Papi exclaimed in amazement.

''How did they do that, Master?'' Suu asked her host with a look of confusion.

''How?'' Kimihito replied as he pondered the question himself. ''Well, it's simple.'' He continued as he smiled towards the harpy and slime pair. ''It's magic.''

''Yeah, it's impressive what you can do with a pair of fake legs…'' Rachnera interjected while she was doing string tricks with her silk out of boredom.

''Rachnee, don't ruin it for them…'' He responded, giving the arachne a disapproving look.

''What? It's not good for them to believe every little thing they see.''

''Well regardless, I think this show has been rather entertaining so far.'' Mero said as she clasped her hands together.

''Mayhap, but dost thou not feel that something is off about this performance, Milord?'' Centorea question from behind the mermaid.

''What do you mean, Cerea?''

''This theatre has not been well kept, and we are the only souls here. I fear this whole show is but a ruse of sorts…''

Before the pair could continue their conversation, the magician spoke out again. ''Now, some of you may think that was a simple trick, but my next feat shall surely astound you!'' He exclaimed as he gestured towards a large back container with the front covered by a large black curtain. ''For centuries, people have sort the secrets of transmogrification, but today, you shall witness the magic of the Cube of Transformation!'' He continued as Jezebel pulled the large curtain back to reveal the empty space inside, knocking hard on each of the sides to show there was no other way in or out. ''I will now have my assistant stand inside like so,'' He started as he pulled the curtain back in front of the container, hiding the blonde woman from sight. ''and upon conjuring one of my most powerful spells, she will come out as something completely different!''

''Ooh! I wanna see an elephant!'' The blue-haired harpy exclaimed in excitement.

''I think that might be asking a little too much, Papi…'' Kimihito said to her as he rubbed the back of his head.

''An elephant it is then!'' The magician responded enthusiastically.

''What?!''

''Like hell they have an elephant in this dingy little place.'' Draco said with a smug look on her face, her nerves finally under control.

''Yeah, even I find that hard to believe…'' Miia added.

''Do you doubt the magic arts?'' The magician said as a smirk appeared on his face. ''Then you give me no choice but to defy your expectations.'' He continued as he faced the box and started chanting at it, waving his arms in graceful motions as he did so. ''Oh, Cube of Transformation! Show us your powers and transform this woman into what the people desire!'' He then grabbed the curtain and rushed to the side with it in hand, turning his vision away from what was inside.

With the curtain now wide open, the audience were greeted with a sight beyond imagining. Instead of an elephant as promised, what they saw was an indescribable creature, a large mass of flesh that was covered in eyes, fangs, and claws. Everyone's face went pale as they laid eyes on the Cthulian terror in front of them.

''AAAAAHHHHHHH!'' The group screamed in unison.

Papi and Suu quickly covered their eyes as best as they could. Centorea rushed to cover Mero's eyes from behind the mermaid. Kimihito was sat there with his eyes wide open as he became a panicked mess, while Miia subconsciously wrapped her tail around her host, and surprisingly clung tight to Draco with her arms as the dragonewt did the same. Rachnera was so caught off guard that she toppled from her hammock and landed on top of her host and the two reptilian liminals. After a moment or two, the creature started untangling into a mass of long silver hair, soon revealing Doppel at the centre of its mass.

''Gotcha~'' The doppelganger said out loud in a sing song tone with a massive mischievous grin on her face.

''DOPPEL?!'' Kimihito shouted from underneath his arachne homestay.

''Zounds! I should've known that harlot would be behind such a deception!'' Centorea shouted in annoyance.

The doppelganger starting laughing to herself over their reactions. ''Man, that was priceless! You should've seen your faces when you saw me!''

Miia and Draco eventually crawled out from under Rachnera, both sending angry looks towards the MON operative. ''What the hell?! You practically traumatized us!'' The lamia shouted as she clenched her fists.

''Is Ms Smith on this to? She was the one who gave us the tickets.'' The host added as he tried to make sense of the situation.

''Oh, that was me too, Buddy. Sorry~'' She replied without any hint of remorse in her words.

''Of course, it was…'' He muttered to himself as he let out a defeated sigh.

As things calmed down, Imitazioni eventually moved to Doppel's side, an amused smirk present on his face. ''Honestly guys, I can't believe you fell for that.''

Kimihito's eyes went wide as he recognised the man's voice. ''Yuuto?! Is that you?!''

The magician removed his top hat and cape, soon followed by the silver wig and fake moustache, revealing him to be none other than the human MON operative. ''Took you long enough to notice.'' He replied with a cheesy grin.

''Kazama?!'' Draco exclaimed in shock. ''I swear, I can explain why I'm here!'' She continued in a panicked tone while flailing her arms frantically, believing she was in trouble with the ICEP again.

''Kazama-kun, how could you help that little troublemaker scare us like that?!'' Miia yelled at him in annoyance.

Yuuto broke eye contact with the group as his face went red. ''Well, Doppel made an offer I couldn't refuse…'' He replied in embarrassment.

Doppel finally calmed herself down as she smirked at the group again. ''Anyway, calm your tits. It was only a bit of fun, no harm, no fou- '' The doppelganger was interrupted as a string of silk shot between her and her human comrade, a look of shock now crossing both their faces.

They looked back to see Rachnera standing on all eight legs again, giving the pair a sinister grin as all six eyes seemed to pierce into the very souls. ''Only a bit of fun, huh?'' She said in a low sadistic tone. ''Then I suppose you don't mind me having some fun with you and my silk now, would you?''

''Err, Doppel?'' Yuuto started as his voice grew fearful. ''You wouldn't happen to have an escape plaAAAAAAAHHHHHH!'' He was interrupted as the doppelganger wrapped several locks of her hair around his waist and started dragging him towards the backstage.

''Of course, I do!'' She shouted as she ran as fast as her legs could take her. ''Now, quit yapping and start running!''

''Heh, I'm going to enjoy tormenting the two of you once I catch up.'' Rachnera said to herself as she started skittering after them.

Now backstage, the two MON agents were running for dear life as they rushed towards the emergency exit. As they neared the doors, Yuuto picked up the duffle bag in the corridor the were running down with his casual clothes in and strapped it around his shoulder.

''Okay, how the hell do you propose we outrun a god damn arachne?!'' He shouted as he broke out into a cold sweat.

''Don't worry that pretty little head of yours. I've got an idea once we're outside.'' She replied as she looked back at him, giving him a wink.

''I fucking hope so.'' The human muttered to himself.

As they pushed open the doors and got outside, the blonde quickly shut them behind them, hopeful it would at least slow down Rachnera. As he turned around again, he was surprised to see Kestria of all people, though he quickly realised that it was Doppel in disguise.

''Oh, don't tell me you plan on- ''

''Either that, or you can play masochist for your arachnid friend of yours.'' The doppelganger replied in the raptor harpy's voice, before she lifted herself in the air with her wings, and clasped her talons around the human's arms, the pair soon soaring into the air.

As they flew off, the arachne burst through the doors, knocking them from their hinges. She then looked to her right and found that they were already out of reach.

''You might've gotten away today, but you'll have to come to our place sooner or later!'' She yelled with a sinister grin, anticipating the moment she'd get to pay them back for their prank.

* * *

After a minute or so, the MON agents eventually landed on the rooftop of a small apartment complex. Doppel dropped Yuuto close to the ground before landing herself, soon untangling her hair as she changed back into her default form.

''Nailed it~'' She said out loud with a victorious look on her face.

''Well, someone looks like they enjoyed themselves.'' Yuuto said to the girl with a smile on his face.

''Admit it, you had a blast yourself.'' She replied as she gave him a playful smirk. ''You really got into your role.''

''Well, hanging out with a chuunibyou for three years, and now dating one helps in the acting department.'' He replied as he started getting changed from the tuxedo back into his casual clothes.

As he took off the black over coat and white dress shirt, Doppel noticed his toned abs as they glistened with sweat, causing the doppelganger to blush lightly at the sight. ''Looks like someone's been working out.'' She said as she winked at him suggestively.

''Take a picture, it'll last longer.'' He joked as he smirked to himself, though before he could put his t-shirt back on, he was caught off guard from the flash of the woman's cell phone, which she somehow conjured from out of nowhere. ''I was fucking kidding!'' He shouted in annoyance.

''You shouldn't be teasing a girl in the first place, Romeo.'' She replied as she gave him the bedroom eyes before giggling to herself.

Yuuto gave her a quizzical look as he just about finished getting changed. ''Romeo? The hell happened to Newbie?''

''Let's just say you graduated with that successful prank of ours.'' She replied as she gave him a playful smirk again. ''And besides, it's more fitting for a lady killer like yourself.'' She teased as she placed her fingers over her mouth.

''Not funny, Doppel…'' He replied in an annoyed tone.

The doppelganger giggled to herself again before she calmed down and looked him in the eye. ''Anyway, thanks for helping me out today. I really had a great time.'' She said as she now gave him a warm smile.

Yuuto eventually returned the warm smile as he zipped up the duffle bag. ''Yeah, surprisingly I had a good time too. Though, you still owe me for helping you out.''

''Don't worry Romeo, I haven't forgotten about helping you and your precious Juliet.''

''Yeah, I guess she is…'' He muttered to himself as he though about his girlfriend, Lala, a blush quickly taking a hold on his cheeks.

''Err, I'm sorry to interrupt, but your time is up, Doppel.'' Manako said meekly through their earpieces.

''No worries, Manako.'' Doppel replied. ''We're just about done anyway.''

''Oh, okay.'' She replied timidly as she started talking to the human. ''Kazama-san, meet me by the nearby shrine as soon as you can. There's a festival I wish to go to today, if you don't mind taking me that is…''

'' _Manako? A festival? Now I've heard everything.''_ He though to himself with a look of surprise on his face before he replied to the monoeye. ''Sure, I don't mind. I'll see you in a bit.'' He said to her in a caring tone to help put the girl at ease.

''Better hurry it up, don't wanna keep her waiting now.'' Doppel teased with a smirk on her face.

''Yeah, I know.'' He replied as he ran past the doppelganger and rushed towards the staircase behind her. ''Thanks for today, Doppel. I'll catch you later.''

''Yeah, see you later Romeo.'' She replied with a warm smile as she waved him off with several locks of her hair. Once out of sight, the doppelganger sighed to herself as a blush took hold of her cheeks again. _''Seriously, that guy it too nice for his own good sometimes…''_

Suddenly, her phone started ringing, and checked to see that it was Kuroko who was calling her. Doppel quickly answered the call and pressed the devise to her ear. ''Hey Boss, what's cracking?''

''So good of you to answer, Doppel.'' Ms Smith replied in a stern tone. ''Tell me, what's this I hear about you impersonating an ICEP coordinator for one of your pranks?'' The woman asked as her tone grew grim.

Doppel's eyes shot wide open as her smirk was soon replaced with a look of worry. ''Err, I can totally explain…'' She said as her voice grew nervous.

Rachnera's threat of punishment from earlier would be nothing compared to what Ms Smith had planned for the troublemaking doppelganger.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, I think this is my longest chapter to date, and I still have Manako's and Zombina's dates to write. Hope you guys can wait a little longer on them.**

 **As for the anniversary special, I'll be scrapping the whole Q &A idea as I've received no question for it, so what I'll do instead is show you guys my original concept for the story, long before Squad Bravo was even an idea. Hopefully it'll be an interesting read, though with my current writing schedule (or lack there of), I'll be posting it before the second half of the Squad Alpha dates, aiming for April 10th.**

 **As always, please follow and favourite the story if you enjoyed it, and feel free to leave a review or any suggestions to help me improve, and thank you very much for reading. Until next** **time!**


	30. 1st Anniversary Special: The Other Me

**Happy Anniversary! *Sounds of party blowers and party poppers going off***

 **Wow, I can't believe I've been writing this for a year now, and I'm honestly surprised that I made it this far. I couldn't have done this with all your support and I know I say it every time, but thank you so much for taking an interest in my story. That said, I wanted to do something special for this anniversary chapter, and I will warn you now, this won't be your typical Squad Bravo chapter. I decided to have some fun with it to mark the occasion and it might get a little racy too if you get my drift (Hint hint nudge nudge). So with that said, LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!**

* * *

It was another quiet day at the apartment complex where the MON operatives lived, and Yuuto and Vee were currently chilling out in his room, playing on his PS4. They were currently playing Helldivers together and were facing off against a swarm of Bugs.

"Vee, watch the south. We've got warriors incoming." The human said as he was capping the point.

"Got it! Throwing out a turret!" She exclaimed joyfully.

As they were repelling the waves of enemies, Yuuto's phone started vibrating. He put his controller down to look at the device, finding he got an email from Zombina. He soon unlocked the device and read the message.

 **Hey Beesh! You and Vee need to get your butts down here ASAP! There's a massive cake in the communal area on our floor, and there's a message for your squad too!**

He then saw the picture that came with it, and there was indeed a massive birthday cake with 'Happy Anniversary' and 'MON Squad Bravo' written in icing on top. "What the hell?" The blonde muttered to himself in confusion.

"What's the matter Yuuto?" Vee asked in a concerned tone as she put her controller down too.

"There's something weird going on downstairs, and I intend to find out what's going on." He replied as he got out of his seat. "You want to come with?" He asked the slime as he smiled down at her.

"Sure!" She exclaimed as she rushed towards the front door of the apartment, putting on her rain coat and boots as she waited patiently for him. "C'mon, let's go!" She continued in an excited tone as she smiled brightly at him.

"Sure, one sec." He replied as he turned off the game console and made his way towards the front door.

With that the human and slime pair left the apartment, determined to get to the bottom of the mystery cake.

* * *

As they arrived at the communal area on the third floor, Yuuto and Vee found that all the other MON operatives, as well as Ms Smith surprisingly, were either standing or sat around the large table, with the large cake already being cut into slices as the girls gorged themselves on it. As they neared, Blare's ears twitched at the sound of their footsteps and turned around in her seat to face them, a large piece of cake still shoved into her face as she gave them and excited look. She quickly swallowed her mouth full before she spoke up.

"Hey Stud! Check out this cake we found, it's fucking massive!" She said with a wide grin as she waved to them, her flame lashes igniting from her eyes as her crimson tail wagged frantically.

"I know, Zee sent a picture already." He replied as he waved back at the hellhound. "Where the hell did it come from anyway?"

"Beats me, but it sure as hell taste good!" Zombina shouted as she got a couple slices of cake on small paper plates and handed them towards the blonde and slime pair. "Try some!"

"For all I know, that cake could be poisoned." He replied as he gave the slice of cake a dubious look.

"I wouldn't worry Senpai." Kasumi spoke up from her seat before taking a bite of her slice of cake. "Blare's already had two slices and hasn't keeled over yet."

"Hey! Were you guys using me as a guinea pig?!" The hellhound yelled in annoyance.

"It's your own fault for digging into it without thinking." Raia said as she smirked at her.

"Though I could imagine you going out goring yourself to death on cake." Kestria added with a teasing grin on her face.

Blare merely pouted at the pair before she stuffed her face with cake again to cheer herself up.

"Well if that's the case, I guess it's safe enough." Yuuto said as he took the two slices of cake from the zombie before handing one of them to the orange slime next to him. "Here you are Vee." He said with a warm smile on his face.

"Thank you Yuuto!" Vee exclaimed with a wide smile on her face before she consumed the cake in one go.

Ms Smith let out a sigh of satisfaction as she finished the last bite of her cake, savouring the sweet taste and the fluffy texture. "Nothing beats a bit of R&R after a hard day's work." She said with a smirk on her face.

"Yeah, must be hard taking a nap in your office while no one's looking." Doppel replied with a smug look on her face, earning her a scowl from her superior.

"Mmmmm~ This cake is so good~" Tio said with a joyful hum. "We should totally do stuff like this more often~"

"As lovely as it sounds, I still have my suspicions about why there's a cake here in the first place." Manako added with a hint of scepticism. "Didn't you find the message on it a little odd?"

"Yeah, that's a point." Yuuto answered after finishing a bite. "Bravo squad hasn't even been active for a full month yet. Who would even get us a cake?"

"If you ask me, it sounds like a set up for one of Doppel's pranks." Zombina replied with a massive grin on her face.

"Hey, do you think I'd be here if that was the case?" The doppelganger said as she defended herself against her squad captain's accusation.

"She has a point Senpai. It makes little sense for her to be out in the open like this otherwise." Kasumi added, confident in her assumption.

"That's true." He mused to himself, trying to make sense of the situation. "But who else could've done it?"

"I believe there tae be a greater force at work here, me Love."

Everyone, apart for Yuuto, Vee, and Kasumi, jumped at the sudden arrival of the young reaper who had appeared from behind her boyfriend.

"Fuck sake Headless! Quit popping up like that, it's starting to get old ya know!" Zombina shouted in annoyance.

"Lala!" The slime girl exclaimed before she ran towards the dullahan and wrapped her arms and tendrils around the girl in a loving hug.

Lala's face went bright red at the sudden affection, not used to receiving it from anyone other than Yuuto. "D-D-Do nay assault me so casually!" She yelled in an embarrassed tone, though Vee ignored her protest and continued to nuzzle up against her.

"Hey Babe, is everything alright?" The blonde human asked with a hint of concern.

"I am fine, though I fear that we've been lured intae a trap. Though I do nay know fer what purpose." She replied with a hint of worry, causing everyone including the slime latched to her to look at the dullahan in confusion.

" **Like moths to a flame!" The voice of a man shouted out in triumph from all around them.**

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Everyone jumped at the sound of the disembodied voice, causing Lala and Vee to jump into Yuuto's arms, as well as causing Zombina and Blare to comically fall back on their chairs. Manako had clung her arms tight around Tio as the ogress wrapped an arm around her comfortingly to calm her down. Ms Smith, who was at the time drinking a can of coffee ended up spurting a mouth full out, a good amount of it hitting the orange slime.

"What the fuck was that?!" Blare exclaimed as she shot up from her seat.

" **That'll be me. Sorry for scaring you like that, and thanks for finally noticing me." The voice spoke again, but this time in a more cheery and polite tone from before.**

"And who are you exactly?" Yuuto asked, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.

" **My name's not important. But hence forth, you shall know me as, The Author!" The voice exclaimed overdramatically.**

"…What the hell are you on about?" The blonde man questioned.

"HESAIDHE'STHEAUTHORYUUTOTHEAUTHORTHEAUTHORTHEAUTHOR!" Vee exclaimed incoherently, now hyped up on caffeine.

"God damn it, not again!" Yuuto exclaimed in frustration.

"What's up with Gooball?" Blare asked as she looked at the slime girl in question, who was now flailing her arms and tendrils frantically.

"She get's ridiculously hyper if she ingests caffeine…" He replied in a defeated tone.

"Yeah, sorry about that…" Kuroko apologised as she rubbed the back of her head nervously.

" **I can't help but feel a little bit ignored right now…" The Author complained as he started to feel slightly depressed.**

"Aww, don't feel sad Mr Author. I haven't forgotten about you." Tio said in an attempt to cheer up the disembodied voice.

 ***Sniff* "Thank you Tio. I knew you'd care." He replied, sounding like he was holding back tears.**

"Enough of this bullshit already!" Zombina shouted as she eventually jumped to her feet too. "Why are you here, and what do you want with us?!"

 **The Author sounded like he was blowing his nose before he replied. "Oh, right. Sorry I get side tracked easily." He said before clearing his throat. "Anyway! I have gathered you all here today in celebration of my story's one-year anniversary!"**

Silence filled the room, save only for the sound of Vee bouncing up and down in her blob form excitedly. The group was unable to comprehend what the mysterious voice was talking about.

 ***Ahem* "I said-!"**

"We heard you the first time!" Blare shouted as her flame lashes burst from her eyes furiously. "What do you mean by your story?!"

" **Isn't it obvious? I'm talking about my story about you guys."**

"Say what?!"

Lala separated herself from her boyfriend and got into her reaper persona once more. "I believe what he is saying is that he has constructed a grand tale, and we are merely his puppets tae do with as he pleases."

" **Translation, you guys are the main focus of a story I'm writing, and everything that's happened to you so far since the incident at the Metropolitan Bank has been of my doing." The Author explained in a confident tone. "I hope you've enjoyed the results so far."**

"Now wait just a god damn minute!" Yuuto yelled, finally losing his patience. "Are you saying that you created us and we're not in control of our own lives?!"

" **Basically." He replied nonchalantly as if this was a normal occurrence. "Though I didn't create all of you, just the members of Squad Bravo, oh, and Vee of course."**

The slime girl's eyes went wide with excitement. "MRAUTHORMRAUTHORMRAUTHORDOESTHATMAKEYOUMYDAD?!" She shouted excitedly.

" **Not exactly, but you guys can call me Dad if you want."**

"OKAYDAD!"

"You're accepting this way too easily…" Raia commented as she furrowed her eyes at the hyperactive slime girl.

"So, who in the word made the rest of us then?" Ms Smith asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah! I wanna know!" Zombina yelled impatiently.

" **That's a long story, and it's not the reason why I'm here today. I only wish to show you guys how your lives could've played out if I took the story in a different direction." The Author explained calmly to the group. "Now, let's get this show started!"**

Before they realised it, the group found themselves in an empty white void, with only themselves existing there currently.

"AH! WHERE ARE WE?!" Manako yelled in panic as she clung to her ogre squad mate once more.

" **Don't fret, no harm will come to you. I'm just setting everything up." The voice replied in a calming tone to help ease their concerns.**

Suddenly from out of nowhere, generic elevator music started playing as several couches and beanbag chairs literally popped into existence in front of them.

" **Take a seat, the show will start in a sec, so make yourselves comfortable." He politely requested.**

The group was hesitant, but soon, Kasumi, Kestria, and Vee quickly made their way to the beanbag chairs at the front, accepting that they'd be stuck here for the foreseeable future.

"Hey, be careful girls. We don't know anything about this place." Yuuto warned the trio, sounding like an overprotective parent.

"Take a chill pill Hotshot." The raptor harpy replied as she nestled herself into a blue beanbag chair, letting out a relaxed sigh as she did so. "I'm kind of interested to see what this guy wants to show us."

"I have to agree Senpai." Kasumi added as she did the same. "We might as well enjoy ourselves while we're stuck here."

"YEAHYUUTODON'TBEAPARTYPOOPER!" The hyperactive slime exclaimed as she was bobbing around excitedly in her beanbag chair.

 **The Author chucked to himself over how the adorable slime girl was behaving. "I think someone needs to calm down a bit. Here Sweetie, here's some water for you."**

A large plastic cup filled with water with a straw magically appeared in front of Vee and she proceeded to grab the straw with her nubs and stuck it inside of herself, slowing starting to drain its contents. "THANKSDAD!"

"Yuuto," Lala started saying to him as she wrapped her arms around his. "I see nay harm in obliging tae this deity's wishes. Ye could do with some time tae relax, me Love." She continued before pecking him on the cheek.

"…Alright, fine." He finally relented as he let out a defeated sigh. "Though I have a bad feeling about all this..."

"I know what you mean Beesh, but what else can we do?" Zombina said as she walked with the pair towards one of the empty couches.

As everyone took their seats, the white void that surrounded them became pitch black, and a white screen appeared in front of them. After a moment, a title appeared on the screen in large bold text reading 'Everyday Life with MON'.

" **What you guys are about to watch is my initial idea for a MON focused story, which will star Yuuto as a host, and the original MON girls, that being Zombina, Manako, Tio, and Doppel as his homestays."**

"Oh yeah." The zombie spoke up. "The girls and I did say we'd like to try being homestays in the program."

"Though we never really followed through with that plan, seeing it wasn't necessary for us." Manako added from her seat next to Tio.

"Well, at least now we get to see what it would've been like if we did." The ogress added in a cheery tone.

"I just want to see if Romeo can even handle living with us." Doppel said with a mischievous grin.

"Well, as long as I don't have to deal with the same crap Kimihito does, then I guess I don't mind." Yuuto commented as he got himself comfortable as Lala rested her head against his shoulder.

" **I wouldn't give your hopes up Mr Protag. This is a fanfic based on an ecchi harem manga/anime series after all." The Author replied matter-of-factly.**

"…You know, I'm really starting to hate you…" The blonde human responded to the voice as he looked above him with an irritated look on his face.

" **Shhh, it's about to start."**

With that everyone turned their focus towards the screen as they watched what could've happened to them in this alternate story.

* * *

 _It's another lovely summer afternoon here in the suburbs of Tokyo, and I was in the kitchen of my recently renovated two-story home prepping dinner for myself and my homestays. Oh, I should introduce myself. I'm Yuuto Kazama, I'm twenty-three, and I'm a host for the Interspecies Cultural Exchange Program. You probably wouldn't believe me, but the girls I'm hosting are none other than the members of Tokyo's very own MON squad. They're at work right now, but they should be home soon, so I decided to cook up some Teriyaki chicken with fried noodles for them. I know it's a bit basic, but the girls seem to love whatever I cook for them regardless. As I was doing this, the TV I had on in the living room was currently on the local news and it seems the girls have been very busy today._

" _In other news, a hostage situation involving members of the Pioneer Orc Renaissance Kinsmen was thwarted when members of the MON task force sieged a local doujin shop they were held up in earlier today." The anchor-woman said in a professional tone._

" _Another job well done girls." I muttered to myself with a smirk forming on my face._

" _It seems that the group was demanding for the publication of manga depicting orc males preforming acts of rape against unwilling non-orc women. We've had statements from members of the Orc government saying that they condemn these actions taken by their citizens and that they'll be severely punished for their crimes once the criminals are deported from Japan."_

" _Serves those degenerates right." I thought to myself as I started boiling the noodles for dinner tonight. "Though it's sad that they're giving a bad reputation to their species…"_

 _Just as I put a lid on the pan, I heard the front door open, followed by the yell of a certain undead housemate. "We're home!" Zombina shouted boisterously as she made her way in._

 _I came out of the kitchen to find her, along with Manako, Tio, and Doppel standing in the hallway as they took their shoes off and put on their slippers. They were currently in their work uniform, apart from the doppelganger who made a habit walking around everywhere in the nude, her hair being the only thing hiding her modesty._

" _Hey girls, how was your day?" I asked as I gave them a warm smile._

" _It was a blast!" The zombie shouted as she ran up to me and pulled me into a tight hug. "Those idiots didn't stand a chance!"_

" _Yeah, you girls did a great job today." I replied as I wrapped my arms around her waist, enjoying the feeling of her body pressed against mine._

 _Zombina pulled her head back from my shoulder to look me in the eyes, her cheeks now red and a playful smirk forming on her lips. "Don't you think we deserve a reward?" She asked in a husky tone, giving me the bedroom eyes._

" _I don't see why not." I answered as I smirked back at her, my own cheeks going bright red too._

 _The red-head wasted no time as she sensually pressed her lips to mine, the soft sensation sending a tingle down my spine as she let out a quiet moan. She ran her hand through my hair as I ran a hand up and down her back affectionately. I probably should've mentioned this sooner, but despite it currently being illegal under the Exchange Bill, I'm currently in a relationship with all four members of MON squad._

* * *

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Yuuto yelled from his seat with a furious look on his face, while Lala stared at the screen in shock, not wanting to believe what she saw.

" **Nope. You, my friend, were originally going to be a Harem Protagonist." The Author explained in an amused tone, happy with his Main Character's reaction. "I should also mention that you're not a member of MON if this little scenario. Sorry about that."**

"What the hell?!" Blare suddenly exclaimed from her seat next to Tio. "How come me and the other members of Bravo aren't there?!"

" **Well, you girls weren't even a concept in the original plot I had planned, so technically in this scenario I'm showing you, you girls don't exist…"**

"BULLSHIT!" She exclaimed in anger. "WE SHOULD BEEN IN THE HAREM TOO!"

"Hey Beesh, you really know how to pull the moves." Zombina teased as she nudged an elbow into the human's side, her signature grin plastered on her face.

"Not funny Zee…" He replied unenthusiastically as he furrowed his eyes at the zombie.

"Quit talking already, I want to see where this goes." Kuroko interjected with an amused look on her face. "Oh, by the way, Mr Author, can I get a black coffee here?"

"Yeah, get me some popcorn too!" The red-head exclaimed.

" **Coming right up!" The voice shouted enthusiastically.**

* * *

 _After a moment or two, our lips eventually separated as I felt the need to breathe, a string of saliva handing between our moist lips. This didn't stop Zombina from lightly nipping my bottom lip as I caught my breath, giving me a cheeky grin as she stared lovingly at me with her mismatched amber and hazel eyes._

" _You really know how to make a woman feel good Beesh." The zombie said in a low tone before pecking me on the lips._

" _Well, I've had a lot of practice since you girls moved in." I replied as I smirked back at her, now resting my forehead against hers as I stared lovingly back at her heterochromatic eyes._

" _Bina-chan, quit hogging Sweetie!" The ogress of the squad whined with an adorable pout on her face. "He's our boyfriend too you know!"_

" _Alright, keep your panties on, will ya?" Her squad captain said as she begrudgingly separated herself from me. "I need to go get changed anyway. He's all yours" She added as she walked to her room with her hands held behind the back of her head._

" _Yaaaay~" Before I could react, Tio picked me up and pulled me into one of her soul-crushing hugs as she nuzzled my cheek affectionately. "Hey Sweetie, I hope you didn't miss us too much while we were gone~"_

" _Well, the house does get a little quiet without you girls around." I admitted from my fleshy but oh so comfortable prison. "But you have an important job to do." I continued as she stopped her nuzzling to look me in the eyes._

" _Aww~ Here, let Mama Tio give you some sugar~ Mmmm~"_

 _Before I realised it, my towering girlfriend had pressed her lips to mine, tightening her embrace on me as our lips glossed over each other. Not long after, she pulled back and stared lovingly at me before putting me down._

" _So, what's for dinner tonight~?" She chirped as an adorable smile formed on her lips._

" _Teriyaki chicken and noodles." I replied as I gave her a big grin in return._

" _Ooh, sounds delicious~" Tio said as she started making her way to her room. "I'll see you in a bit, Sweetie~"_

" _Geez, that girl sure loves her food." I thought to myself as I watched her walk off._

 _As I was distracted, I felt many strands of long hair wrap around my shoulders and torso, soon accompanied by their owner, who promptly lifted herself up and wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing herself against my back. I looked back to see Doppel resting her chin on my shoulder as she stared seductively at me with a playful smirk on her face._

" _I hope you haven't forgotten about me Romeo." She said teasingly as she lightly tightened her grip on me with her hair._

" _Well, it's kind of hard to forget someone who spends all her time walking around in the nude." I jested as I smirked back at her._

" _You know you love it." She replied, giving me a suggestive wink._

" _I know I'd love you to- "_

 _Before I could finish my sentence, the doppelganger quickly silenced me with her lips pressing tightly against mine, accompanied by her tongue invading my mouth as it wrestled with mine. I gladly reciprocated the act as we deepened our kiss, giving her my full attention as I wrapped an arm around the back of her head, ravishing her as best I could in our current position. Eventually, our lips parted and she gazed at me once more with a mischievous grin curling onto her lips._

" _I was going to say that I'd love you to wear some clothes once in a while, but that works too." I said as I smirked back at her._

" _You know you'd just want to rip them off me anyway, so I might as well spare you the hassle." She replied cheekily before lightly nipping at my ear. She then got off of me and started making her way to the living room, not needing to get changed for obvious reasons. "Anyway. I'll be watching TV if you need me, plus I think Manako's waiting for her turn to be ravished too." She added teasingly as she left with a wink._

 _I turned back to Manako, who was still standing in the hallway with me, nervously fidgeting at the hem of her skirt as she tried avoiding eye contact with me, her cheeks currently bright red with embarrassment. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself at how adorable she was acting, and I soon walked up to her, giving her a warm smile as I closed the distance._

" _I know you're shy, but you don't have to hold back now that you're back home." I said as I gently patted her head, which caused the poor girl to flinch momentarily._

" _I-I know Yuuto," She replied meekly as she took quick glances at me. "b-b-but I'm still quite new to all of this. I-I-I've never had a boyfriend before now…"_

 _In an attempt to calm her nerves, I decided to wrap my arms gently around her and pulled her into a light hug with her arms and chest pressed up against me. She was hesitant at first, but she soon relaxed into it as a cute smile formed on her lips, now nuzzling her cheek against my chest. I could feel her heart pounding in her chest as her hands gripped tightly on my shirt, enjoying the feeling of being held close._

" _Feeling better?" I asked in a soothing tone as not to startle her._

" _I am, thank you." She replied lovingly as she looked up at me, her eye now locked with mine._

 _In that moment, I leant down and captured her lips with my own. She was caught off guard for a moment, but she soon calmed down and eased into the kiss as our lips lightly glossed over each other, the monoeye letting out quiet moans every so often. It didn't last very long and we soon separated once more, Manako resting her head against my chest again as I started lightly stroking her hair, both of us with content smiles on our faces._

" _I love you Yuuto." She said in a quiet tone as only I could hear her._

" _I love you too." I replied before kissing her forehead lightly._

 _After a moment we both reluctantly broke the hug, the two of us still staring lovingly at each other._

" _You should probably go get changed, I need to finish dinner for you girls." I said to her as I rubbed the back of my head._

" _R-Right." She replied meekly as she broke eye contact with me with an embarrassed smile on her face. "Thank you for always looking after us Yuuto." She added as she bowed to me, before quickly making her way to her room._

" _No problem." I responded as I glanced back at her, my cheeks still red._

 _When they first came to live with me, I wouldn't have thought in a million years that I'd be dating all four of them, and it hasn't even been a month since they moved in either. As I recalled the events that lead up to this point, I let out a sigh of satisfaction, happy that I'm living with four gorgeous women._

" _Man, I can't believe I got this lucky."_

* * *

Yuuto was currently leaning forwards in his seat with his face in his hands, letting out a loud groan, swathed in both frustration and embarrassment at what he was watching. Lala and Zombina both silently rubbed his back in an attempt to comfort the poor human, though the red-head did quietly snicker to herself, finding the whole situation hilarious.

"Senpai, I never knew you were such a womanizer." Kasumi spoke up, looking back at him with a blank expression on her face.

"Yes, such shameful behaviour Bishie-kun." Kuroko teased from her seat.

"I'm really not in the mood right now…" The blonde answered in a despairing tone.

Meanwhile, in her seat, Manako was having a minor emotional breakdown at seeing what her counterpart had just done on screen, her face bright red as she panicked to herself while Tio tried to comfort the poor girl. "I-I-I can't believe Kazama-san and I just did that! H-He already has a girlfriend!" She exclaimed as steam started to rise from her head.

"Holy crap Manako! Your head is steaming up!" Blare shouted from the other side of the ogress they were sitting next to.

" **Sorry, just wanted to add that for dramatic effect." The Author answered apologetically. "I'll turn it off now." He added, and with that the monoeye's head stopped steaming up.**

"Damn Romeo, you really made the moves on poor Manako." Doppel teased from her seat made from her own hair. "You almost made her head explode."

"Can we just get on with this already?" He said out loud to the Author with his head still in his hands. "I don't want to be here any longer than I have to."

" **Of course!" The voice shouted enthusiastically, and with that he resumed playing the movie once more.**

* * *

 _Now that dinner was nearly ready, the girls started gathering at the dinner table as I was setting the table. As I started plating up the food, the door bell rang, though everyone in the house, including myself, could guess who was visiting at this time of night._

" _Manako, do you mind letting Ms Smith in? She's probably come begging for food as per usual…" I said with a hint of annoyance._

" _Of course, I'll be back in a moment." The monoeye replied as she excused herself from the table._

" _I might as well get her coffee ready while I'm at it…" I said unenthusiastically has I made my way back into the kitchen._

 _As I was doing that, Manako came back with the raven-haired government agent behind her, the human with a smug look on her face, knowing full well that she'd be well fed tonight. "Evening ladies, Bishie-kun." She said as she waved a hand at us. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."_

" _You know damn well that we have dinner this time of night!" I shouted from the kitchen. "You showing up for dinner is practically clockwork by now!"_

" _Well, it's the least you can do for me," Kuroko started as she took her seat at the end of the table. "considering some of the *Ahem* privileges your group has right now. If I were any other coordinator, your ass would already be in jail right now. You're just lucky that you're hosting Japan's only anti-liminal special forces unit." She added as she lowered her glasses and gave me a knowing look._

" _And I thank you for not ratting us out to your superiors." I replied as I came out of the kitchen with a mug of freshly brewed coffee in hand, as well as her plate of Teriyaki chicken and noodles. "It's amazing what you can get away with when blackmail is involved." I added in a sarcastic tone as I placed the mug and plate next to my coordinator, which earned snickers of laughter from my zombie and doppelganger girlfriends. "Black and bitter with something spicy to eat, just how you like it."_

" _Oh, you're too kind Bishie-kun." She said with a polite smile. "You have no Idea how lovely it is to be treated like this every once in a while."_

" _Yeah, it's not like you go to Kimihito's place and demand food and coffee from him as well…" I complained out loud as I took my seat at the other end of the table. "So, what do we owe the pleasure, besides feeding your caffeine addiction that is?"_

" _Mmm, this is good stuff, nearly as good as Darling-kun's." The government agent muttered after taking a sip of her bitter nectar, before returning her attention to me. "Oh, now that you mention it, there was something I wanted to talk to you about, and it involves this whole harem situation you and Darling-kun have found yourselves in."_

 _I raised an eyebrow at the woman as I felt fear well up in the pit of my stomach. "If it's along the lines of 'The feds have found us out and want to incarcerate me', I don't want to know."_

" _Now there's no need to get so overdramatic Bishie-kun. You two are safe for the time being, in fact, this bit of news might be beneficial to you two Casanovas." Ms Smith answered with as smirk forming on her lips before she took her sunglasses off and eyed me up. "You see, with all these liminal species cropping up, especially the female only species like lamias and harpies, the ratio of men to woman worldwide has tipped in favour of girl power and there's not enough guys to go around. With that in mind, talks about legalising polygamy has been a hot topic as of late."_

 _My eyes widened at the mention of polygamy as a look of shock took over my face. "Wait, you're not suggesting-!" Before I could finish what I was saying, my coordinator spoke up again._

" _With how things are going right now, it's only a matter of time before it becomes a serious consideration." She said matter-of-factly. "Legalising polyamorous marriages would help ease tension between humans and liminals, but the government needs proof that such a thing is viable. So, in that regard, we need a test case to prove its legitimacy. I couldn't think of a better group to do the trial run on this." She finished as she smirked at me once more._

 _The girls and I just stared at her in disbelief, not able to take in what she just said. This was our one way of making this relationship of ours work, but it would be a major commitment for all of us. We all sat there in silence, up until Zombina let out a victorious yell._

" _FUCK YEAH!" She exclaimed excitedly. "NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"_

 _Doppel soon joined in as a smirk appeared on her lips. "This should be interesting."_

" _Yaaaay~! We get to be together now~!" Tio cheered in a joyful tone._

" _M-M-Ms Smith? Don't you think this is rather sudden?" Manako asked as her voice grew nervous. "We've only been romantically involved with Yuuto for a few weeks now."_

" _Yeah, this is a pretty big bombshell even from you." I added with a hint of worry._

" _What's the problem?" She replied nonchalantly. "I'm sure all of you are eager to make the beast with two backs, or five in this case." She added in a teasing tone._

 _Zombina pulled her lips into her signature grin as her cheeks went bright red at what her boss just said. I could only guess she was trying to imagine how the five of us doing 'It' together would look like. Manako had her hands on her cheeks, trying to hide the massive blush on her face. I could only imagine what the poor girl was fretting over. Tio seemed to be her usual bubbly self, with the exception that she was muttering to herself about plans for the future, like if we had to move to a bigger place, where she'd want us to get married, and how many kids we should have. Doppel on the other hand just looked back at me and gave me a mischievous grin as her cheeks went red._

 _I eventually let out a sigh and returned my attentions back to my coordinator. "As you can see, we're all very excited to hear this good news, but as their host, I feel we need to seriously think this over before we can make a proper decision." I said to her in a serious manner._

 _This earned me shocked gazes from all my homestays, believing I would've jumped at the chance to accept Ms Smith's offer. Even the government agent quirked an eyebrow at me, confused by my response._

" _Well, there's no need to rush if you feel that's for the best." She started as she put her sunglasses back on. "This is a very serious matter for all of you after all, but the sooner you come to a decision, the better it'll be in the long run." With that, she turned her attention to the food on her plate, determined to enjoy if while it's still hot._

 _The rest of us stayed silent as we all eventually did the same. We all had a lot to think about._

 _After we finished dinner, Ms Smith thanked me for my hospitality and made her leave. I was slightly concerned when she said there was something else she wanted to tell me but couldn't remember. She brushed it off as she said goodbye to me and the girls, leaving us all to think hard about the future. I looked back at the girls as I cleared the table, seeing all of them with worried looks on their faces. I felt that I betrayed their trust when I told Ms Smith that I had my concerns about the whole polygamy situation. Unable to look them in the eye, I excused myself and decided to go to bed early to give myself chance to think over what I should tell them. A couple of hours passed as I laid on top of my bed above the covers, wearing a simple white vest and blue pyjama bottoms. Unable to sleep, I tossed and turned until I rested on my side to look out the window. As I glanced out, I noticed that the moon was out, but to my horror I saw it was a full moon. I shot up as a cold sweat formed on my skin as I felt fear well up in the pit of my stomach for the second time that night._

" _Shit."_

* * *

"NONONONONONONONONONONONO!" Yuuto exclaimed from his seat as he flailed his arms in a panicked state. "I know exactly where this is going and I want no part of it!"

" **Oh, don't be like that Yuuto, it's just getting to the good part!" The Author exclaimed excitedly. "Besides, I need to make use of my M rating!"**

"Fuck your M rating you sadistic bastard!"

"Quit interrupting Medjay, I want to see the juicy bits." Raia interjected as a sadistic smile formed on her lips.

"Is the other Yuuto going to be okay?" Vee asked in a very worried tone.

"Don't worry Vee." Zombina said with a toothy grin in an attempt to alleviate the orange slime's concerns. "This is Beesh we're talking about here, so he'll be just fine." She continued before looking away with a nervous look on her face, her cheeks going red as she rubbed the back of her head. "Well, probably…"

" **And there's only one way to find out!" The voice shouted again, eager to show what would happen to his Main Character. "Now, on with the show!"**

Yuuto merely let out a frustrated groan as he slumped into his seat, unable to do anything other than watch his counterpart suffer.

"Me Love," Lala started as she whispered into his ear. "do nay worry. I have devised a plan tae bring an end tae yer suffering."

The blonde's eyes lit up with hope as he turned his full attention to his girlfriend. "Okay, I'm all ears."

* * *

 _Just as panic started to set in, I heard a knock on my bedroom door, causing me to jump momentarily. "W-Who is it?" I replied nervously, now fearing for my life._

" _Hey Beesh, it's me." Zombina replied quietly. "Is it alright if we talk? I can't sleep."_

 _Odd, I would've thought for sure that Zombina would be affected by the full moon, but from what I can tell, she seems alright so far. I did hesitate for a moment, but either way she was coming in, so I relented._

" _S-S-Sure, I can't sleep either." I replied with my voice still feeling unsteady._

 _With that, the door opened and the zombie entered my room, closing the door behind her as she rested her back against it. She stood there with her arms behind her back, staring at me with seductive eyes as her cheeks went red. The only thing she was wearing right now was a black tank top and a pair of green and black camo panties. It was obvious she wasn't wearing a bra as I could barely make out the outline of her perky nipples as they poked against the fabric. My mouth hung agape at the sight of her, unable to look away from her curvaceous form, unperturbed by her stitch-covered body. I knew she was sexy, but I had no ide- WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?! SHE'S TOTALLY NOT IN HER RIGHT MIND RIGHT NOW! I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE SHE-!_

 _Before I realised it, she made her way to the bed, now crawling seductively towards me on all fours as she reached the foot of the bed. I panicked and backed up until I hit the headrest with my back, with seemingly now way to escape._

" _H-H-Hey Zee!" I blurted out in a panic. "W-What did you want to talk about?"_

 _She simply giggled at me as she edged herself closer, staring me down with her lust-filled eyes. "It's about this whole marriage thing Kuroko mentioned earlier, and I thought we should consummate it to celebrate." She replied in a husky tone as a massive grin curled onto her lips._

" _D-Doesn't that come after the wedding?! We're not even engaged yet!"_

 _By this point she had crawled on top of me and pressed herself against my chest, her nipples poking against me as our faces were mere inches apart now. "You know how impatient I get. And besides, I know how worked up you get living with all four of us. So, as a good wife-to-be, I need to relieve my future husband's stress." She said as she caressed a hand against my cheek, refusing to break eye contact with me._

 _Before I could even attempt to reason with her, Zombina forcibly pressed her lips to mine, causing the back of my head to collide with the wall behind me. Distracted by the sudden pain, she took the chance to force her tongue inside my mouth as it overpowered mine. The zombie then straddled me as she started rocking her hips against my crotch, letting out powerful moans as she continued to ravish the inside of my mouth with her tongue. I tried my best to force her off me, but this only encouraged Zombina to rock against me harder. Eventually our lips parted as she felt the need to breathe and I was thankful for some relief from her assault._

" _Zombina… we can't… do this…" I tried to tell her between ragged breaths, though she seemed to ignore my pleas as she slid her hand down my pants and grabbed hold of my manhood, causing me to gasp momentarily._

" _The only thing I remember Smith saying is that you can't hurt us. But last time I checked, I don't feel pain." She replied huskily as she started to stroke at my member, the tingling sensation causing my mind to go blank for a moment._

 _I had to do something fast, otherwise Zombina will end up having her way with me, and possibly break me in the process. That's not even considering the possibility of the other girls showing up to do the same. I hated the idea of pushing her away, but tonight, I had to prioritise my survival over her feelings._

 _With that thought in mind, I placed my hands on her shoulders and put all my strength into forcing her off of me. "That's enough!" I shouted at the top of my lungs._

 _To my own surprise, I managed to push her off, causing her to land on her back hard. "Seriously Zombina! I know you're not thinking straight, but if this goes on, you'll end up being deported and that's the last thing I want for us!" I shouted in an attempt to get through to her._

 _As she sat back up, she stared straight back at me with a toothy grin, as well as giving me the bedroom eyes. "Playing hard to get, eh?" She said seductively as she got back on her hands and knees. "I'm so gonna rock your world tonight."_

" _Fuck, her mind's too far gone! What the hell do I do now?!" I thought to myself, hoping for some miracle to save me._

 _Just then, the door to my bedroom was sent flying from its hinges, shooting right between myself and Zombina as it almost crashed through the window. Tio came striding in, wearing only a pink frilly night dress to cover her modesty. The ogress stared down at me with lustful eyes before practically launching herself at me with her arms spread wide open._

" _Come here Sweetie! Let's start a family!" She exclaimed joyfully with a wide smile on her face._

 _Both Zombina and myself were caught off guard by her sudden arrival, but I shook myself from my stupor and jumped out of the way. The zombie wasn't so fortunate as the ogress landed right on top of her, crushing my bed in the process. As Tio landed, her horn impaled the floor right between my legs, mere inches away from my manhood._

" _Owie…" The ogress groaned in pain._

" _Get off me Tio!" Zombina yelled from under her. "You could've killed me if I weren't already dead!"_

 _While my two girlfriends were distracted, I got up and booked it, running straight out of my room. As I made it through the doorway and into the upstairs corridor, I was instantly ensnared by many stands of long silver hair wrapping themselves around my arms, legs, and chest. They then pinned me against the wall, finally allowing me to see their owner staring back at me with a seductive look and a perverse grin on her face._

" _There's no running from me, Romeo." She said in a seductive tone, not bothering to cover her modesty with her hair. "You might as well relax and let me have my way with you." With that, the strands of hair she didn't use to bind me wrapped around her own form, making it so that she was now standing at a similar height to mine as well as increase the size of her butt and bust. "I know you tend to prefer women with curves, so consider this a little treat from me." She added as she gave me a wink._

" _Doppel, listen to me!" I pleaded to her. "Please, just let me go! I don't want you to do anything you might regret!"_

" _C'mon Romeo, you know you want it as much as I do." She replied as she pressed herself against me. "Quit wasting time and let's have some fun. Just. You. And. Me." She drawled near the end as her face neared mine, trying her best to entice me._

 _Before she could go further, Zombina and Tio burst out of my room and started charging towards us._

" _Get back here Beesh! You're not leaving until I get a piece of that ass!" The red-head shouted, her voice full of determination._

" _Please stay Sweetie! I want to have beautiful babies with you!" The busty blonde yelled as the floor cracked with every step she took._

 _Displeased by their sudden arrival, Doppel unravelled her hair from around me and shot them towards her squad mates. Her silver locks coiled around Zombina and Tio, ensnaring the pair and lifting them off the ground effortlessly. With the three of them distracted again, I got up and started running. Unfortunately for me, Doppel had dragged me away from the staircase, and now the three MON operatives blocked my only way out the house, which only left me with one option. I legged it down the corridor and barged into Manako's room, slamming the door behind me. As I did so, the monoeye shot up from under her bedsheets, wearing her yellow pyjama top and bottoms. She had a frightful look on her face as she looked towards me with worry._

" _Y-Y-Yuuto! What's going on?!" She exclaimed in a panicked tone, shocked by my sudden intrusion._

 _As she said that, I rushed towards the chest of draws by her door and pushed them in front of it to barricade us in. "Sorry Manako, but the other girls have gone nuts!" I answered as I looked towards her with a look of panic on my face. "I know I'm just being hopeful here, but have you got anything on hand to stop them?!"_

 _Manako narrowed her eye at me and nodded confidently. "Yes, I do." With that, she got off her bed and crawled underneath it to get something and she soon came back out with two briefcases. "I have these on hand just in case of an emergency." She opened up one briefcase to reveal a tranquilizer gun, as well as a clip full of tranquilizer darts. She assembled the weapon quickly and handed it to me. "Have you used a gun before?" She asked with a hint of worry._

 _I looked down at the weapon in her hands, hesitant to grab hold of it. "No, but there's a first for everything, I guess." I answered with a hint of nervousness._

 _Manako held the gun up and quickly showed me how to operate the weapon. Understanding what she said, I took the gun and pointed it at the door of her bedroom while she picked up the other briefcase. To my surprise, the briefcase unfolded into some sort of strange rifle and she pointed the bulky weapon at the door from near her bed._

" _I'd stand back if I were you." The monoeye warned me in a serious tone. "That barricade won't last long against them, the effects of the moon will cause them to act purely on instinct, which will enhance their strength and agility."_

 _I took a few steps back as she suggested, continuing to point the weapon at the door as I stood by her side. "I'm just glad you're acting like your normal self, otherwise I'd be fucked right now, quite literally." I said to her with a sense of relief._

" _I'll go check the window, they might try to break in that way." She replied as she did just that._

 _She drew the curtains wide open, scanning their back garden to see if any of the girls were outside. As she scanned her surroundings though, she took in the sight of the full moon, and unbeknownst to me, she was slowly losing control of herself, her mind bending to the will of her desires._

" _I don't know why, but I feel like it's my fault." I said to her as I started berating myself. "You girls were so excited when you heard Ms Smith say we could have a polygamous marriage, just like we hoped we could. Instead of talking to you, I just ran off, afraid of what might happen. Granted, she really shouldn't have told us tonight of all nights, but I'm your host. I should've told you how I felt there and then. I know we can all be happy together, but I can't help but think that-!" I was interrupted as I heard her rifle clatter on the floor. Worried, I glanced back at my monoeye girlfriend. "Manako?!"_

 _Before I could react, she tackled me from behind, causing us to tumble to the ground. The gun I was holding was sent flying from my hands towards the bedroom door, now well out of my reach. As I tried to look back at her again, she tightened her grip around my chest, looking back at me with her eye wide, her pupil dilated as she stared at me lustfully._

" _Don't worry about that, I know that you love all of us. Now, please relax and let me make you feel better." She said seductively as she started to slide one of her hands towards my nether regions._

" _Fuck! Not her too!" I yelled inwardly at myself, berating myself for not considering her a threat._

 _In an attempt to escape, I rolled over so that I was lying on top of her. I sat myself up and tried to stand, but Manako quickly pulled herself up, wrapping her legs around my waist and over my legs, now locking me in place. With her left arm still clung hard to my chest, she thrusted her right hand down my pants, now grabbing hard at my member. I gasped in shock as she rested her chin on my shoulder, her lips mere inches from my ear._

" _Don't worry Yuuto." She whispered in my ear lovingly. "I promise I'll be gentle, I just want to show how much I love you." She continued before she started to lick at my ear, occasionally nipping at my earlobe as she did so._

 _As she did that, she slowly started stroking her hand up and down my shaft and my mind was starting to go blank, revelling in the sensation I was feeling as Manako continued to pleasure me. "Manako...Please…stop…" I pleaded to her as my voice hitched, unable to control myself under her assault on my body._

 _Before she could continue, the door burst open, sending the chest of draws toppling to the ground. Manako and I whipped our heads around in surprise to see Zombina, Tio, and Doppel standing in the doorway, all three of them staring down at me with lust-filled eyes._

" _Looks like you're enjoying yourself Beesh. Mind if we join in?" Zombina asked as she gave me a toothy grin._

" _Yeah Sweetie. We're a family now, so we have to do everything together~" Tio added, her voice as sweet as honey._

" _You're a lucky guy Romeo." Doppel said as she gave me a mischievous smile. "You get to have all four of us all to yourself."_

" _Girls, snap out of it! This isn't like you!" I desperately shouted, but my pleas fell on deaf ears as the three of them rushed towards myself and Manako._

 _I saw my life flash before my eyes as they jumped at us, with no way for me to escape. I was going to be fucked to death, and there was nothing I could do about it._

" _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!"_

* * *

The scene was interrupted as Lala's black scythe and Yuuto's katana sliced through the screen simultaneously. The remains of the screen disappeared from existence as the black void they were residing in turned white once more. With satisfied looks on their faces, the dullahan dematerialised her scythe and the human sheathed Black Lotus back into its sheathe, happy with the result of their plan.

"What the hell guys?! It was about to get to the good part!" Zombina yelled in frustration.

" **But how?! I don't remember writing in Black Lotus in this chapter!" The Author exclaimed in shock.**

Lala smirked to herself as she took on her reaper persona, looking up as she placed a hand over her face. "While ye were mesmerised by yer own creation, I took the chance tae return tae our mortal realm and retrieve me Love's treasured blade."

" **Damn, I knew I should've kept a closer eye on you…"**

''Thank God it's over." Manako said out loud in relief as she hung her head, letting out a sigh. "I didn't know how much more embarrassment I could take."

"I dunno about that." Doppel said to the monoeye. "It looked like you were enjoying yourself there." She added as a mischievous grin appeared on her face.

"But that wasn't me!" She shouted in self-defence.

"It is a shame, I was rather interested to see what would happen next." Kasumi said flatly from her beanbag seat.

"Probably Medjay having the time of his life." Raia added teasingly.

"Anyway!" Yuuto shouted as he looked up himself, directing his focus towards the voice. "I think it's about time you took us home you damn sicko!"

" **Uh bub bub!" The voice interjected. "Before you start one of your rants Kazama, can I just ask one thing?"**

*Sigh* "It better be good."

" **Think about it. Why do you think you've lived out the events you have so far, and not the ones I've shown you here in this empty space?"**

Yuuto's eyes widened in realisation. "Wait, you weren't just fucking with us?"

" **Well, that isn't entirely untrue, not to mention the entertainment value for the readers…" The Author muttered to himself before clearing his throat to continue. "The main reason I did this was to tell you how much the readers of this story like you guys, and to show my own appreciation. It may've been only a few weeks for you, but for me it's been a year's worth of hard work to bring your story to life. I'm honestly happy with how it's gone so far and I can't wait to show the readers what'll happen next. I'm sure you'll enjoy what's yet to come."**

"And who the hell are these readers you're on about?" Blare questioned with a hint of annoyance, not liking the breach in her privacy.

" **They're kind of like your fans." He explained to the group. "There's currently over a hundred and thirty followers as of writing this chapter."**

"Well, that's a fair few people spying on us." Kestria said, unsure how to feel about hearing that bit of information.

"Yay Followers!" Vee exclaimed with joy.

" **Anyway! If the members of Squad Bravo, and you too Vee, would like to say something to them, speak now or forever hold your peace!" The voice shouted overdramatically.**

"Thank you everyone! I love you all!" Vee shouted as loud as she could.

The members of Squad Bravo were hesitant as they took glances at one another. Eventually though, they rolled with it, realising they wouldn't be going anywhere unless they did.

"Um, thanks, I guess." Blare answered nervously as her cheeks went red. "It's nice to know that people are interested in us at least."

"Thank you for taking an interest in our lives." Kasumi said as she gave a deep bow. "We all appreciate your continued support."

"Thanks, you guys, and any girls out there. Just don't start stalking us, okay?" Kestria said as her own cheeks went red.

"Yeah, what she said." Raia added with a sinister grin as she held one of her wrappings tightly between her hands. "Otherwise I may have to punish you."

" **Don't want to make assumptions, but some of our readers might be into that sort of thing…"**

"Even better." The mummy answered with a hint of enthusiasm.

Yuuto sighed to himself again before speaking up. "Well, I guess we wouldn't be here if not for your support. So really, thank you all. I wouldn't be leading this life if not for you." He said genuinely before giving a bow himself.

"Ye have me gratitude too, Mortals." Lala added as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. "I wish tae see what future awaits us." She added as her cheeks went red.

" **Well, I guess that wraps everything up for now." The Author said out loud. "Guess it's time to send you all home."**

"Yeah, I doubt I'll be forgetting this anytime soon." The blonde man added unenthusiastically.

" **Oh, I forgot to mention." The voice interjected. "None of you will remember any of this, seeing it'll make the story awkward and what not. Anyway, I'll catch you later!"**

With that, a black hole appeared behind them, sucking the group and all the furniture into its form. They all screamed in panic, while Vee squealed with joy at the sensation. After a moment, the black hole disappeared, and all that was left in the void was the disembodied voice of the Author and his thoughts.

" **Well, that was fun!" He exclaimed to himself, seeing there was no one else to talk to. "Now, all I need to do is finish off the dates, then the real fun begins." He added in a malicious tone. "Muahahahahahahahahahah-!" He cut himself off as he choked on his own maniacal laughter for a moment. "Damn, I need a cough mint…"**

* * *

 **Well, that happened...**

 **I couldn't help it, alright?! I had to interact with them at least once in my life! Okay, I'll admit, I might've gone a little overboard in places, but I couldn't help it. I bet any fanfic writer reading this gets some enjoyment from messing with their MC, I know I do! Just seeing the look on Yuuto's face when I put him in an uncomfortable situation, it's priceless, well, I know I can't technically see his face, but you get the idea.**

 **Anyway, in regards to updates, I'm still working on the second half of 'The Quadruple Date Fiasco', so don't worry, that's still coming. I'm also going to spend some time updating all my previous chapters, just to make sure I've got all the spelling and grammar just right. I've been doing this for a year now, and my work deserves to be at the best quality it can be for my own satisfaction and for you guys and girls too. That said, I'm not planning on doing any retconnig, so the plot will stay the same. Other than that, I've got big plans for the future of this story, so look forward to that.**

 **As always, feel free to follow and favourite if you've enjoyed the story, and leave a review or a suggestion for this story if you'd like, there's always room to improve. And finally, thank you for sparing the time to read the story. Until next time!**


	31. The Quadruple Date Fiasco (Part 2)

It was early afternoon and crowds of people were gathering at the nearby shrine for the festival that was on today. Yuuto was making his way through the crowds to try to find his next date for the day, Manako. He was surprised to hear that she wanted them to go to the festival, despite how uncomfortable the monoeye was with large crowds, such as the one that was forming right now.

" _Seriously, I know she's on the short side, but how hard is it to find a purple-haired monoeye?"_ The blonde internally complained to himself as he looked for his co-worker.

He was about to call her through his earpiece to enquire on her whereabouts when he suddenly felt someone tug on the back of his shirt. He turned around to find a woman with short purple hair styled in a bob-cut, wearing a sky blue long-sleeved cotton blouse with a white button-up shirt underneath, a black skirt that reached just past her knees, long black stockings, and a pair of white trainers. The woman was also wearing a white Inari mask over her face, though Yuuto knew instantly that it was Manako trying to hide her eye from public view.

"H-Hello Kazama-san. I hope you didn't have too much trouble finding me…" The girl said in a meek tone, now feeling slightly relieved that she now found her date.

"Hey Manako." The blonde replied, giving her a warm smile. "What's up with the Inari mask?" He asked as he quirked an eyebrow at her.

Manako broke eye contact with him and started fidgeting at her skirt as the human could easily imagine the massive blush currently forming on her cheeks. "Y-Y-You know how I feel about people staring at me. I don't want them freaking out over seeing my eye."

Yuuto knew that she had a massive complex over her eye, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl, to see her force herself to hide away from the world despite how cute she looked. He was determined to make the best of this date with her and take the chance to help build up her confidence. With that in mind he suddenly took her mask off while she was fretting to herself and placed the strap around his head, placing the mask itself on the side of his head. Manako's eye widened in surprise as she looked up at him with a startled look on her face, the blonde returning a cheesy grin in return.

"Kazama-san! What are you doing?!" She exclaimed with panic in her voice, the only thing hiding her face from prying eyes within the grasp of her date.

"What? Doesn't it look good on me?" He teased as he struck a pose for her.

Manako got up on her tippy toes and tried to reach for her mask while Yuuto leaned back to keep it just out of her reach. "Give it back! This isn't funny!" She shouted as she desperately continued to try and get her mask back.

"Chill out Manako, I think it's a waste to hide that pretty face of yours." He replied as he continued to dodge her attempts at grabbing a hold of the Inari mask.

Manako froze at that statement, surprised by what her date had just said. "Y-Y-You think I'm pretty?" She stuttered out as her face went a brighter shade of red.

"Of course, I do." He replied, giving the monoeye a warm smile again.

Manako panicked again and turned away from him, hiding her face in her hands as best she could. The blonde swore he could hear her muttering to herself in disbelief, and it worried him that she had such a low opinion of herself. Without thinking he placed a hand on top of her head and started rubbing it gently. The monoeye flinched at the sudden sensation and moved her hands to her cheeks as she looked back to see Yuuto smiling at her.

"K-Kazama-san?"

"You should really have more confidence in yourself Manako." He started as he continued to rub the top of her head. "I know you don't like crowds and that you're a little self-conscious about your eye, but there's no need for you to hide away from the world. I can understand why people would freak out seeing you for the first time, but they'll soon get used to it. I did, didn't I?"

Manako turned around to face him again as she removed her hands from her face, revealing a bright red blush on her cheeks. "B-But it's different with us. We work together for a start…"

"Yeah, and that didn't happen overnight last time I checked."

She couldn't deny that her human co-worker had a point. If she was ever going to get over her complex and boost her self-esteem, she'd have to be brave and allow people to get accustomed to her, however long that would take. With that, a determined look appeared on her face as she locked her eye with his.

"Alright. I do want to get better around people, and that's kind of the reason why the girls suggested we'd come to the festival with you today." Manako said to him with a hint of confidence in her voice.

Yuuto chuckled to himself at her statement. "Thought this might've been their idea." He said before taking the mask off himself and put the strap back around her head, placing the mask on the side of her face this time. "Don't worry, I'll be with you the whole time, so don't fret." He then held out a hand towards her. "Just stay close to me, okay?"

The monoeye hesitated at first, but she soon took a hold of his hand and wrapped her other arm around his, holding it close to her. Her face was almost as red as a tomato as she stood right next to him, anxious about being so close to a man.

Yuuto looked down at her, giving his date a warm smile. "Alright, let's go." With that the pair started ascending the stairs towards the shrine and the festival proper.

As they walked through the archway, they saw the grounds of the shrine filled with many different stalls, comprising mainly of souvenir stalls, food stands, and even a fair number of game stalls. One of the first stalls the stopped by was one that was selling a variety of masks which varied in design. Yuuto noticed a red Super Sentai mask amongst them, and he just had to have it. He quickly talked to the stall owner and purchased the mask from him, immediately putting the mask on the side of his head with a cheesy grin on his face.

"What's that mask supposed to be?" Manako questioned as he returned to her side.

"It's from Super Sentai." He answered as they started walking around again. "Loved watching those shows as a kid, though I will admit it's kind of cheesy nowadays."

"But you still bought it despite that?"

"You have your own mask, and I didn't want to feel left out."

A massive blush appeared on the monoeye's face again at that statement and she hung her head low in an attempt to hide her face from her date. "Y-Y-You didn't have to do that for my sake Kazama-san…"

"Please, call me Yuuto."

Manako looked up at him again with a quizzical look on her face. "A-A-Are you sure?"

"Why not?" He replied as he smiled at her. "It's been nearly three months since we've started working together, so I think it's about time we stopped being so formal with each other."

She stayed silent for a moment. She wasn't sure if she could do it, considering she called him Kazama-san for so long already, but he did have a point. They had known each other for a while now and there was the fact that she called all the other MON operatives by first name, though that was due to the fact that the other girls have never mentioned their surnames, apart from Kasumi that is.

After a moment, she looked him in the eye and gave him a look of determination. "Y-Y-Yuu… Y-Y-Y-Y-Yuu…" She stammered as she struggled to spit his name out, she was that embarrassed about calling a guy by his first name.

"It's okay Manako." The blonde interrupted. "Just take your time, no one's rushing you." He said in a soothing tone to put her at ease.

Manako nodded at him and took a deep breath. "Y-Y-Yuut-t-t-t-to…" She finally uttered from her lips as he cheeks went bright red again.

Yuuto gave her a wide grin as he gave her head a quick pat. "Nice one. You'll get it in no time." He said as he chuckled to himself.

The monoeye hung her head again to hide her face behind her bangs as she felt the corners of her lips pull into an embarrassed smile, happy at the encouragement she received from Yuuto so far. The pair continued to walk around the festival until the voice of a man shouted to them.

"Hey! You there! The little miss wearing the blue blouse!"

Manako and Yuuto looked towards where the voice was coming from and they saw a man wearing a mask with a dopey cock-eyed face on it. He was holding a corked air rifle in one hand as he directed their attention towards his shooting gallery with the other.

"Why dont'cha try your hand at this here shooting gallery of mine?!'' The masked man shouted enthusiastically. "Five bullets for only 500 yen!"

Yuuto chuckled to himself at the stall owner's overconfidence. "I'm sorry, but you just picked the wrong person to challenge to a shooting contest." He said with a smirk on his face.

As he said that Manako confidently walked up to the stall, paid the man 500 yen, and loaded one of her five cork bullets into the end of the air rifle.

"Well, someone's confident, aren't they?!" The stall owner said with bravado as he gave the monoeye a quick look over. _"Hey, doesn't she look familiar?"_ He thought to himself before recognising her purple bob-cut hair and the Inari mask she wore on the side of her head. _"Wait! It can't be-!"_

Before he could finish his line of thought, Manako hit the sign with 'five extra shots' written on it, knocking it over effortlessly. She then proceeded to hit and knock down several plushies with her other shots, much to the masked man's dismay.

"STOP! PLEASE STOP!" He shouted in a panic. "IF YOU TAKE ALL THE PRIZES, I'LL BE RUINED!"

She suddenly stopped as her eye widened in surprise, now looking at the stall owner with an apologetic look on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed as she bowed at him. "I just got into the zone and I couldn't stop myself!"

"It's alright! You can take any two prizes of your choice for you and your boyfriend!" He pleaded to her. "I'll even give you your money back!"

Manako's face went bright red at his assumption. "B-B-Boyfriend?! N-N-N-No! Yuuto and I are just friends!" She answered in a panicked tone.

"Yeah, we're just hanging out." The blonde added from behind her.

"Sure, whatever! Just pick whatever two prizes you want!"

Manako scanned the shelves and spotted a cute little teddy bear with a red ribbon tied around its neck. "Can I have the teddy bear please?"

"Here you go!" The man replied as he rushed towards it before hastily giving it to her.

"Th-Thank you." She answered nervously before turning her attention towards her date. "Which one do you want Yuuto?" She asked him, seemingly not bothered about calling him by his first name anymore.

Yuuto scanned the shelves himself and something immediately caught his eye. He saw a small chibi grim reaper with a small scythe attached to one of its hands, wearing a hood over its cute skull face. He just had to get it for Lala while he was here.

"I'll take the little grim reaper plushie off your hands." He said to the stall owner with a snarky grin on his face.

"Sure! It's all yours!" The masked man replied as he hastily handed over the plushie to the blonde.

The pair gave their thanks to the stall owner and continued with their trek through the festival. Yuuto held the reaper plushie to his side while Manako held her new teddy bear to her chest with both hands as an adorable smile crossed her lips.

"Damn, you showed that guy who's boss." He said to the monoeye as he smirked down at her.

Manako's face instantly went a light shade of red at the statement. "I-I-I didn't mean to go overboard like that. I just got caught up in the moment, that's all…" She replied nervously as she clutched to her teddy bear tighter.

"Well, it's nice to see you have confidence in something at least." He added, now flashing her a grin. "If you can apply that to everything else, then you're as good a gold."

She finally locked eyes with him as a smile crept onto her lips again. "Thank you Yuuto, it means a lot to hear that from you."

"No problem. Now, let's make the most of our time here."

Even as they continued to walk, Manako didn't look away from her date for even a second. She couldn't help but admire Yuuto for what he's done for her so far today, and she couldn't help but feel just a little bit braver with him around. They may only have a short time together, but the monoeye was determined to make the most of this date.

The pair spent the rest of their date going from stall to stall, either to get something to snack on or play some of the games that were available, all of which Manako won with ease. They even went to the shrine itself and made an offering. As they rang the bell and prayed, she couldn't help but glance up at Yuuto to see a smile on his face, glad to see he was enjoying himself to. As she stood there and prayed, she wished she could be even just half as brave as he was and hoped that someday she could lead a normal life without fear of being judged just for being different. Before their date came to an end they sat on a nearby bench as they snacked on some Takoyaki they had just bought.

"Mmm, these are really delicious." Manako said out loud as she enjoyed her snack.

"Yeah, no kidding. Can't remember the last time I had Takoyaki this good." The blonde replied before biting down on another octopus ball.

It didn't take them long to finish their snack but they continued to relax on the bench, just to take a moment enjoy the atmosphere around them. Suddenly, Manako started to feel a bit tired and rested her head against Yuuto's shoulder. The blonde was somewhat surprised by the bold move on her part, but he decided not to make a big deal of it.

"You okay down there Manako?" He asked as he gave her a warm smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry Yuuto. I just feel a little tired, that's all." She replied as she looked up at him, her cheeks turning a faint shade of red.

"It's alright, we've had a pretty busy date after all."

Manako couldn't help but smile back at him before she closed her eye and enjoyed the feeling of being next to him. "Thank you for everything today, I really enjoyed myself."

"No worries, I enjoyed myself too." He answered, now giving her a cheesy grin. "We should do this again sometime with everyone else."

"Agreed, maybe then I won't be so nervous all the time."

Just as they were starting to enjoy the calm atmosphere, Zombina started yelling down their earpieces. "TIME'S UP!" She shouted as loud as she could, which startled the pair enough to cause them to jump back from each other. "Beesh, get your ass over to the arcade by the cinema! You're gonna enjoy what I've got planned for us next!" The zombie continued in a boisterous tone.

"Hold up a sec Zee." Yuuto replied through his earpiece. "I can't just leave Manako in the middle of a festival by herself."

"That's why we're here Romeo."

The pair heard Doppel from behind them and turned around to see her with Tio and Lala right behind her, the former currently eating away at her cotton candy, and the later wearing a plastic skull mask on the side of her face, looking down at her boyfriend with loving eyes.

"Oh, hey girls. Guess you three have been enjoying the festival too?"

"Mhmm~" The ogress replied before swallowing her mouth-full of cotton candy. "It was kind of hard to keep an eye on you two without getting caught up ourselves~"

"It has been an enlightening experience me Love, Mortals certainly have a talent when it comes tae celebration." Lala added as her cheeks went red.

Yuuto and Manako got out of their seats as the human of the group smiled back at the trio of liminals. "Good to hear." He said to them before he made his way to stand in front of his girlfriend as he took his mask off his head. "Babe, I wanted to give you this." He added as he held out the grim reaper plushie in front of her.

The dullahan stared in awe of the little chibi reaper before she took it from him and gave Yuuto a bright smile as she held the plushie to her chest. "I will treasure it forever me Love."

The blonde smiled back at her before giving her a chaste kiss on her lips, which caught Lala off guard for a moment. He then handed over his Super Sentai mask to her before running of towards the arcade Zombina was waiting at.

"I'll see you girls later! Enjoy yourselves!"

Once he was out of sight, Doppel and Tio immediately turned their attention towards their monoeye co-worker.

"Great work Mana-chan~" The busty blonde chirped as she wrapped her friend into a loving hug. "I'm glad you're starting to come out of your shell~"

"W-W-Well, it's hard not to with Yuuto around…" Manako replied as her cheeks went red again.

"Yuuto huh?" The doppelganger teased as she narrowed her eyes at the monoeye. "I bet you're totally crushing on him now."

"N-N-N-No!" She exclaimed as she flailed her arms in a panic. "I-I assure you that it's p-p-p-purely plutonic between us!"

"Do nay fret, ye have made yer intentions clear." Lala spoke up as she entered her reaper persona with her new plushie and Yuuto's mask still held in her arms. "Though I fear the last obstacle that awaits me Love will be his hardest yet."

She had no idea what Zombina had planned, but she could tell that she still had feelings for her boyfriend. She knew that Yuuto would never betray her, but she also knew that the zombie wouldn't make it easy for him. All Lala could do now was believe in him to overcome this next hurdle.

* * *

"Beesh, stop making a girl wait and go for it already." The red-head said to her date impatiently.

"Just cool it for a sec Zee, I'm almost there." The blonde replied, trying his best to concentrate.

"Oh, c'mon already, it's right there!"

"Be patient, I haven't done this in a while…" He said as his cheeks went red.

"Geez, how much prep does a guy need anyway?" She started to complain, the object of her desires only mere inches away from her.

"Do you want it or not?" He asked as he started to get annoyed with her.

"…I've been waiting forever for this you know…"

"I know you have, it's written all over your face." He responded before taking a deep breath. "Okay, here goes…" There was no turning back now.

Zombina merely smirked back at him, now giddy with anticipation. She was about to get what she waited so long for, one of her desires about to be fulfilled.

…

The mechanical claw slowly lowered itself towards the plushie that Zombina was fixated on, that being of a chibi Levi from Attack on Titan. As it reached the plushie, the claw closed itself around its head and slowly started to lift it up.

"Nice one Beesh, you got it!" The zombie shouted in excitement.

"It's not over yet, we still need to pull it out." Yuuto explained to her.

As the claw slowly carried the Levi plushie towards the opening of the crane game, it slipped slightly, which caused Zombina to gasp with worry. "C'mon Levi, you can make it!" She yelled in hope that it would listen.

Yuuto just merely glanced back at her giving her a look on annoyance.

The claw stopped and it was holding the plushie just above the opening in the crane game. The seconds seemed to last for hours as the claw slowly loosened its grip on the chibi Levi. The plushie then started falling towards the hole, ready to be free from its prison.

"It's coming Beesh! It's coming!" The red-head shouted excitedly again.

"…Do you have to say that out loud?" The blonde asked as he gave her a questioning look.

Finally, as if answering Zombina's prayers, the Levi plushie landed in the prize compartment, ready to be collected. The zombie was filled with so much joy that she couldn't help but tackle Yuuto against the crane game and hold him in a crushing hug.

"You're the best Beesh! I couldn't have done this without you!" She shouted as she held him tighter.

"Sure…no problem…" He replied between ragged breaths as he was struggling to breathe. "Just let me go now…will you?"

She didn't think twice as she let go of him and rushed towards the Levi plushie waiting for her. She pulled him out and held it to her chest in between her generous cleavage.

"You're mine now little guy, little Eren is just waiting for you to come home with us." She said to the plushie as her cheeks went red, accompanied by a perverse grin forming on her lips.

*Sigh* "I should've known that's why you wanted him so bad…" Yuuto added in a despairing tone.

From around the corner from where they were standing, two young teenage boys stared at the pair as their cheeks went bright red from their exchange. They couldn't help but chuckle to themselves at what the MON operatives were saying to each other.

"Damn, it sounded like they were having sex." The one boy said out loud.

"I know right? I thought we hit the jackpot." The other boy replied.

Zombina overheard the pair and looked back at them with a harsh look on her face. "Get out of here you pervs and try and get laid yourselves!" She shouted as loud as she could, causing the two teenagers to run off in a panic.

The blonde's cheeks went red at their assessment, thinking over what he and his fellow squad captain were saying to one another while trying to get the Levi plushie. "To be fair, we could've chosen our words a little better…" He said to the zombie in an embarrassed tone.

Zombina glanced back at him before she let out one of her gut-wrenching laughs, which could be heard from outside the arcade they were in. "Maybe, but you know you love it!" She exclaimed as she continued to laugh to herself.

"C'mon, we've got a movie to see, haven't we?" Yuuto said to her as the pair started making their way towards the cinema. "What zombie flick are we watching this time?"

"Oh, it ain't a zombie movie we're gonna watch. We're gonna see 'IT'."

Yuuto instantly froze in place as soon as she said that as his face slowly went pale. "IT?"

"Yeah, you know, the one with the killer clow- "

"SORRY! I JUST REMEMBERED THAT HIKARI NEEDS MY HELP WITH SOMETHING, SUPER URGENT! I SHOULD REALLY BE ON MY-!" He yelled in a panicked tone as he tried to leave, but Zombina grabbed a hold of his wrist before he could attempt to escape.

"Hold it! You're not going anywhere Beesh!" She shouted in an annoyed tone. "What's your problem?!"

"I'm afraid of clowns…" Yuuto muttered so only the zombie could hear him.

Zombina's eyes widened at his confession, but she couldn't help but smirk to herself as she tried to stifle her snickering. "Sorry Beesh, but I didn't quite hear that." She said to him in a teasing tone.

"I SAID I'M AFRAID OF CLOWNS, ALRIGHT?!" He shouted out loud, causing everyone in the vicinity to look his way. As soon as he said that the colour returned to his face as his cheeks went red with embarrassment.

By this point Zombina had let go of him and was now laughing out loud to herself as she clutched her chibi Levi to her chest with one arm and the other wrapped around her waist to stop her stitches from coming apart. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Clowns, really?!" She yelled as she continued to uncontrollably laugh to herself again. "Beesh, you're killing me here!"

"It's not funny Zee!" He shouted back at her with an annoyed look on his face as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I stubbled upon the original IT movie when I was a kid, and it fucking traumatised me!"

The zombie was now literally rolling on the floor laughing she found it that funny. "I can't believe it! A badass like you, afraid of clowns of all things! This is just too rich! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Yuuto just broke eye contact with her as he was now pouting to himself.

Eventually Zombina calmed herself down as she got back onto her feet, sticking her plushie into one of the pockets of her bomber jacket. "I'm sorry Beesh, but that was just too good." She apologised to him while still trying to stifle her laughter.

The blonde still didn't look at her as he puffed up his cheeks more.

Her toothy grin was soon replaced with a warm smile as she wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on her shoulder as she tried to comfort him. Yuuto looked back at her to see her pleading eyes and he couldn't help but chuckle at her. Guess even zombies have a cute side.

"I'm really sorry Beesh, but I really wanna see this movie. C'mon, please?"

Nothing weakened the blonde more than a girl giving him puppy dog eyes, and Zombina quickly picked up on this in the time they've known each other. The zombie never considered herself cutesy in any way, especially compared to her ogress squad mate, but she knew she was attractive enough to pull it off, and it would work on Yuuto every time.

After a moment or two of the red-head pleading to him, Yuuto eventually relented and let out a defeated sigh. "Alright, fine. But you're footing the bill for the therapy I'll be needing afterwards." He replied with a barely visible smirk forming on his lips.

"Awesome! You're the best, Beesh!" She yelled excitedly as she grabbed a hold of his hand and started dragging him towards the cinema again. "This is gonna be great!"

" _Yeah, great for you at least…"_ The human thought to himself, dreading the hell he was about to put himself through, just so he could keep Zombina happy.

A couple hours passed and the movie had come to an end. As people started pouring out of the cinema, Zombina had a massive grin on her face, thoroughly enjoying what she just watched. "Man, that was great! The guy they got to play Pennywise was brilliant!" She exclaimed excitedly before turning her attention back to her date. "Hey Beesh, what did you make of 'IT'?" She asked the blonde, snickering to herself at the pun she made.

Yuuto was as white as a sheet, the life seemingly drained from him after the experience. "Yeah… terrifying as hell… just like any good horror flick…" He replied without any hint of emotion in his tone of voice. "…Make that two 'IT' movies that've traumatised me now…"

"Oh, c'mon Beesh, it wasn't that bad!" The zombie exclaimed as she wrapped an arm around the back of his neck and pulled him close.

"Yeah, easy for you to say…" He replied while giving her a look of annoyance.

Zombina smirked back at him as she moved her hand to pat his back comfortingly. "I'm really sorry for putting you through that, but I really appreciate that you watched it with me anyway." She said as her cheeks went red.

The colour finally returned to Yuuto's face as he smirked back at her. "It's no trouble, just don't make me go through any clown-based activities next time."

The red-head couldn't help but let out a gut-wrenching laugh at his request, holding her sides as not to let her stitches come loose. She soon calmed down as she looked back at him with a warm smile on her face. "Hey Beesh. I know our time is nearly up, but can we go to the park? There's something I wanna talk to you about."

The blonde quirked an eyebrow at her, surprised by the sudden request. "Okay, sure. What's on your mind?"

Her smile disappeared as it was replaced with a look of worry. "I'd rather not say with so many people around, I just want it to be between the two of us…" She replied in an embarrassed tone as her cheeks went a brighter shade of red. "I'll tell you when we get there." She added as she gripped her hand tight around his.

Yuuto couldn't help but worry over the zombie's sudden shift in behaviour, but if she wanted some privacy, so be it. He gently tightened his grip on her hand as he gave her a reassuring smile, nodding to her as he did so. Zombina looked back at him and returned a warm smile, happy that he was agreeing to her request. The pair soon slowly started making their way to their next destination.

* * *

They soon arrived at the nearby park and were walking by a set of benches by the edge of an observation area that overlooked the city below. Zombina gently pulled Yuuto towards one of the benches and they took a seat next to each other as they admired the beautiful sunset in front of them, their hands still held tight together. They sat in silence for a while as a look of worry crossed both their faces. They hadn't said a word to each other on the way here and the blonde was starting to get concerned about what his fellow squad captain wanted to talk to him about.

"Zee," He finally spoke up, grabbing the zombie's attention. "what is this all about?"

Zombina stayed silent for a moment, contemplating what she was going to say to him. She had feelings for him for some time now, and she knew she'd have to voice them sooner or later, even if he already had a girlfriend. She soon plucked up all her courage, knowing she had to tell him how she really felt.

"Beesh, I know it's been kinda obvious, but you know I've like you for a while now, right?" She said to him as her cheeks went red.

Yuuto let out a sigh, knowing exactly where this was going. "Yeah, I know, but you know why I can't be with you." He replied in a sombre tone.

The zombie then wrapped her free arm around his so she was hugging it to her chest as she rested the side of her head against his shoulder. "Yeah, but that's the problem." She responded as tears started welling up in her eyes and her voice grew shaky. "I know you've rejected me already and you've got Headless now, but I just can't stop thinking about you that way. Apart from Loverboy, you're the only guy that's ever seen me as more than just some dead girl. You always seem to know how to make me feel better, and you always make the time to have a laugh with me, even with you dating Headless. I really like that about you Yuuto, hell, I love you for it!" She continued as the tears started rolling down her cheek.

"Okay, I can be a nice guy, but there are plenty of people like that."

"Not enough that wouldn't freak out from seeing me!" The zombie shouted as frustration took over her. "Even with appearances aside, I'm a loud, obnoxious woman who's only good at shooting shit up! No one would wanna be with someone like-!"

"Zombina!" The blonde yelled to stop her from berating herself.

Her heterochromatic eyes shot wide open as she looked up at him in surprise as he pulled his arm from her grasp and placed both his hands on her shoulders. He was giving her a look on annoyance at having her thinking so little of herself, but he took a deep breath to calm himself down and was now giving her a look of reassurance.

"You might not think it, but you've got a lot more going for you than you realise." Yuuto started as he gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze. "Okay, maybe you're a little crass at times, but that just adds to your charm. You're pretty smart when you want to be and you're always a blast to be around. Okay, you're a zombie, so what? You're a lot livelier than most living people I've met so far, and a hell of lot more honest too. Anyone who can't see past you being dead is a fucking idiot that doesn't deserve you. Be proud of who and what you are, you've made plenty enough friends despite your state of being and that shouldn't stop you from finding love too. Trust me, you'll find someone, you just need to start thinking better of yourself and make the effort, I know you can do it."

His little speech came to an end as he gave her a warm smile, and the zombie couldn't help but smile back at him, even as tears still trickled down her cheeks. She was so moved by his comforting words that she lunged at him and wrapped her arms around him in a crushing hug as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Dammit Beesh, you really are the best bud an undead girl could ask for…" Zombina said as she tightened her grip around him.

"Well, I do try." He replied as he returned the hug, happy that she was feeling a little bit better.

The pair stayed like that for a few moments, but they eventually separated from each other, happy that they at least cleared the air a bit. Zombina raised her sleeve and wiped at her tear-stained cheeks while Yuuto watched on with a hint of concern as she recomposed herself.

"You going to be okay?"

"I'll have to be." The zombie replied as she looked back at him. "But really, thanks a bunch. I don't know what I'd do without you around."

"Probably shooting up some bad guys while shouting something grossly inappropriate." The blonde replied as he smirked back at her. "But then again you do that on a regular basis anyway."

She started laughing to herself at his comment as she held her sides tightly. "Yeah, that sounds about right!" She said boisterously.

"Now there's the Zee I know." Yuuto added, now giving her a warm smile.

Just then the alarm on Zombina's phone started going off and she quickly pulled it out of her pocket to silence it. "Well, times up Beesh." She said as she stood up and stretched her arms above her head. "That's all the dates you promised out of the way."

"Not quite, I still owe Lala one too." He responded as he did the same. "Plus, I still need to fill in reports for all of them for Smith to read over. Hopefully she'll be satisfied then."

"Yeah, Headless will be happy to have you all to herself now." She said as she patted the human on the back. "Still, I'm sure all the girls, myself included, appreciate you spending time with us."

As they were talking, the human and zombie pair noticed a figure standing behind one of the nearby trees. They looked to find Lala peeking out around the corner with her new reaper plushie held close to her chest with a nervous look on her face. Yuuto and Zombina couldn't help but smirk at the adorable sight.

"You go on ahead, don't wanna keep a girl waiting after all." The red-head said with a toothy grin.

The blonde nodded to her and took out the earpiece he was wearing before giving it back to her. "Will do. I'll catch you later Zee." He replied as he waved a hand at her before making his leave.

"Take it easy Beesh! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Zombina teased as she waved back at him.

She watched as Yuuto and Lala met up and held each other in a loving embrace. The dullahan soon wrapped her arms around his as the couple started walking off together. Zombina let out a sigh, jealous of the relationship the pair had, but she knew she had to move on with her un-life.

"Seriously, those two are lucky to have each other…" She muttered to herself with a sense of melancholy.

"Bina-chan!"

Zombina turned around to see Tio running towards her with Doppel and Manako close behind. Before the zombie could respond, the ogress pulled her into a hug, trapping her in her cleavage.

"I'm sorry you got turned down, but I'm always here for you~!" Tio exclaimed as she tightened her grip on her squad captain.

"Tio, you'll crush her if you keep that up." The monoeye of the group interjected in a worried tone, fearing for the zombie's wellbeing.

"Wouldn't be the first time it's happened." Doppel added with a smirk on her face.

The ogress' eyes shot wide open as she realised what she was doing and immediately let go of Zombina. "Oh, I'm sorry Bina-chan! Are you okay?!"

The red-head took several deep breaths once she was free from her fleshy prison before looking back up at the busty blonde with a toothy grin. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm pretty used to your hugs by now."

"I know, but what about you and Sweetie though?" She asked in a worried tone.

"Yeah, you both just had a big heart to heart. Are things going to be awkward between you two now?" Manako added with a hint of trepidation.

Zombina just chuckled to herself for a moment over their assumptions. "Don't worry, Beesh and I are good." She replied in an upbeat tone, which helped reassure her squad mates. "We had a blast today anyway, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, Sweetie was just the sweetest today~" The ogress chirped joyfully as she recalled what happened on her date with the human.

"Maybe, but the guy's too nice for his own good sometimes," Doppel said with a mischievous grin on her face. "My prank would've flopped if Romeo didn't help out."

"Yuuto was the perfect gentleman on our date, he went so far out of his way to make me feel comfortable…" Manako added as her cheeks went red.

"Damn Manako, you two are on a first name basis now~?" The doppelganger teased with a suggestive smirk on her lips.

"I-I-It's nothing like that, I swear!" The monoeye exclaimed in self-defence.

Zombina smirked at her squad mates, happy that they all enjoyed themselves today. "Whatever. Anyway, we've still got some time left." She started as everyone now focused on her. "So, let's go do some Karaoke!" She exclaimed as she pumped a fist into the air.

"Ooh, that sounds fun~!" Tio squealed as she grabbed everyone and held them under her arms before rushing off towards the nearest Karaoke bar. "I hope it's still open~!"

"Calm down Tio, don't go so fast!" Manako pleaded to her in a panicked tone.

"Don't bother, this is Tio we're talking about." Doppel said to the monoeye matter-of-factly, just going with the flow seeing they had no other choice.

"Go Tio go!" Zombina shouted before laughing to herself once more.

It had indeed been a hectic day for everyone, but it wasn't one that they'd soon forget. All four girls had enjoyed their time with Yuuto today and were happy that they were all still good friends despite what happened. Even for the zombie, the future was starting to look bright.

* * *

 **Well, that's all the dates done and dusted, apart from Lala's that is, but that'll be later down the line. As for what will happen next chapter, you'll have to wait and see.**

 **As always, follow and favourite if you've enjoyed the story so far, and feel free to leave a review or any suggestions if you so desire. Thank you for reading this and I'll see you next time!**


	32. Never a dull moment

Sirens were blaring as several police cars were pursuing a large white moving van that was tearing down the freeway at dangerous speeds. The people in the van were reported to have kidnapped a pair of elven ambassadors from outside the liminal embassy in Tokyo, probably to obtain a ransom for their safe return. In the front of the van were three human men, one who was driving, and the other two each brandishing an AK-47. They all had nervous looks on their faces as the police continued to pursue them, probably regretting the decisions that led them to this point.

The man in the side passenger seat looked at the side mirror to assess the situation. "Damn, there's at least four or five squad cars on our tail!" He exclaimed with worry.

"Then fucking deal with them you dolt!" The driver shouted back at him. "The Mistress will be pissed if we get caught after all this."

"What's the point?" The man in the central passenger seat spoke up. "They can't touch us while we have those elves in the back, seeing they're classed as liminals for whatever reason."

At that moment, a sliding panel behind them opened up to reveal the face of a tanned-skinned woman with long white hair and long pointed ears, giving the men a seductive look. "It's no excuse for you boys to start slacking now, is it?" She said to the humans in a suggestive, yet commanding tone.

"Mistress!" The man in the central passenger seat exclaimed in surprise. "Of course not! It'll be no trouble at all!"

The dark elf narrowed her eyes and smirked at him as she placed a shimmering purple latex covered hand on the man's cheek and gently caressed it. "My, such a good boy." She said to him, her voice as sweet as honey. "Now, go help your friend out, and if you do well, I might treat you myself later." She drawled the last part before nipping the top of his ear which sent the man reeling.

"Yes Mistress!" He exclaimed before he strapped his rifle around his shoulder and started making his way on top of the moving vehicle to get a better vantage point.

"How obedient." The woman said out loud before directing her attention to the other men. "The same goes for you two, so make your Mistress proud." She said sensually to them.

"Yes Mistress!" The shouted in unison as they focused on their tasks, the man with the assault rifle now firing at the police cars pursuing them.

With that the she-elf closed the dividing panel and focused her attention towards her three sisters, as well as the two elven hostages. The Mistress herself was wearing an extremely revealing latex dominatrix outfit which consisted of a zip-up purple latex halter top with a back tube top underneath, a purple choker around her neck, long purple gloves that went up to her biceps, purple short shorts that did little to cover her modesty, as well as a pair of purple boots with black trimmings on top. She also had a pair of curved daggers sheathed to her sides. Her sisters were wearing similar outfits.

The first sister had short styled black hair and was wearing a pair of spiked gauntlets over her hands and forearms. She seemed to have a cocky and over-confident attitude as she looked over her gauntlets with glee, seemingly itching for some action. The second sister had long white hair like the Mistress, though it was tied back in a ponytail, and she wielded a sinister looking bow, as well as an equally sinister looking quiver on her back filled to the brim with arrows. Her demeanour was more on the timid and quiet side as she kept to herself, having second thoughts about what they were doing. The final sister Had long black messy hair that was tied into a braid, and she had a large scimitar held in a scabbard to her side. The woman had a very stoic look on her face as if indifferent to what was happening.

The male elven hostage had long golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and he was wearing a grey suit with black shoes. The she-elf hostage also had bright blue eyes and golden blonde hair which was tied up in a bun, and she was wearing a white suit with black high heels. They were both tied and gagged as they sat there helplessly with fear in their eyes, hoping for this situation to come to an end.

"Alright sisters, here's what we're going to do." The mistress started as she gave them a stern look. "We'll be taking these pretty things to our hideout and make our demands there. You are to make sure no one tries to rescue them, understood?"

The dark elves with the gauntlets and scimitar nodded to her, though the last sister who seemed to be the youngest of the group was starting to have doubts.

"Yrlissa," The bow wielder said to the Mistress. "what if they don't pay the ransom?" She asked with worry in her voice.

A sinister grin soon appeared on Yrlissa's lips as she eyed up her youngest sister. "Well, my dear Llyrana, we'll just have to kill them." She answered, causing the girl and the hostages to go pale. "They'll be of no use to us if they can't provide a ransom."

"But isn't that going a little too-!" Llyrana was cut of as the Mistress closed the distance between them and cupped her cheek, giving her a confident smile.

"We need to show them that we are serious, and if a little bit of blood needs to be spilled for that to happen, so be it. Be brave and do as I say, is that understood?"

Llyrana just nodded back in response with a look of worry still on her face, though this was sufficient enough for Yrlissa as she removed her hand from her sister's cheek.

"Good girl." She said before directing her attention to her other sisters. "The same goes for you two, do as I say and we'll either be filthy rich by the end of the day, or there'll be two less high elf scum in the world."

"I've got no problem with the second option Sis." The gauntlet wielder said with a menacing look on her face. "I'm itching for some action."

"I'm sure they'll try to send people to rescue the hostages Keya, so you can kill to your heart's content." Yrlissa said with an approving nod.

"Glad to hear." Keya replied before turning her attention to her sister with the scimitar. "Aren't you excited Meriel?"

Meriel merely nodded back at Keya with a blank expression on her face.

"Then we're all in agreement." Yrlissa spoke up, happy with everyone's answer. "Maybe now the human government will take us dark elves seriously." She added as a sinister grin crept onto her lips once more.

Back in one of the police cruisers, a pair of male officers were fretting over the current situation they found themselves in. They were discussing a plan of action, though their options were limited due to there being liminals in the van.

"Damn it Yamamoto! Why the hell can't we ram the vehicle to a halt?!" Sergeant Ogawa shouted at the man driving the car in frustration.

"Sir, we'd be risking harm to the hostages on board, as well as any other liminals!" Yamamoto exclaimed in a panic. "We'd be infringing on the Interspecies Exchange Bill if we engage!"

"And let those criminals get away?! Damn it all, we're police officers! What's the point if we can't even do our jobs?!"

Yamamoto just stayed quiet as he let the older officer rant, focusing on keeping pace with the van in front of them.

Suddenly the radio came to life as a female officer called through to the pursuit cars. "All officers, we have conformation that MON will be able to engage. You are to provide support where possible, over."

"This is Ogawa." He replied after he calmed himself down. "The drivers are human, they won't be able to halt the vehicle themselves."

"That's why we're sending in Squad Bravo." The smug voice of a familiar government agent came through on the radio.

"Smith?! How the hell did you get onto a secure channel?!" Ogawa shouted down the radio, not at all happy to hear her of all people.

"Never mind that, Bravo squad's captain is human. He'll be able to stop them" Smith answered without losing her cool.

"And how do you suppose he even plans to stop a speeding vehicle?!"

"Just watch and learn Ogawa." The government agent said smugly before going quiet.

Suddenly from behind them, A siren different to that of the police cruisers started blaring behind them and Ogawa looked behind to see a black SUV speeding towards them. It soon pulled level with the passenger side of the police cruiser before it's driver side window wound down to reveal a woman with long black hair who was covered in bandages and was wearing the MON black and yellow combat fatigues.

"Sergeant Ogawa I presume?!" The woman shouted at the officer to get his attention while still keeping her eyes on the road.

"You with MON?!" The older officer shouted back.

"That's us! We need your guys to surround the van from the front and sides to slow it down! Can you do that?!"

"Of course, you're talking to the TMPD damn it" He shouted with pride. "But we need to deal with those gunners first!"

"Don't worry, we've got it covered!" She yelled back to him before speeding off ahead to catch up with the van.

As Raia surged the SUV forwards, Yuuto, Blare and Kasumi were preparing for what they had planned. The blonde had his tranquilizer gun holstered and Black Lotus sheathed to his side. Kasumi was checking over her own equipment, making sure she had enough kunai and smoke bombs. Blare was sat restless in her seat, giddy with excitement for what was about to happen.

"Holy crap this is gonna be awesome! I never got to do anything like this in TALIO!" The hellhound exclaimed excitedly as her tail wagged frantically and her flames lashes ignited from her eyes.

"Take a chill pill Blare, we need to focus." Yuuto said to her sternly.

"Senpai, I have my concerns with this plan of yours." The empusa spoke up. "Don't you think it's rather reckless?"

"The guys in the van aren't exactly giving us many options." He said back to her in a confident tone. "Just stick to the plan and things should work out, got it?"

Both Blare and Kasumi nodded back at him in acknowledgement.

Yuuto returned the nod before calling through his earpiece. "Falco, Observer. Are you in position?"

"I'm right above these idiots and they haven't seen me yet." Kestria answered in a smug tone. "I'll deal with the side gunner."

"Observer here." Manako announced to the group. "I've got a clear shot on the gunner on the roof of the van. Just say the word."

"Roger that." He answered before turning his attention to his mummy squad mate. "Raia, let's give them a distraction."

"Whatever you say Medjay." Raia replied with a smirk on her face as she steered the SUV into position.

As they got close, both the side gunner and the gunner on the roof of the van took notice of them and aimed their AK-47's at the SUV, ready to turn them into swiss cheese.

Yuuto put his fingers to his earpiece again. "Now!"

As the roof gunner was about to open fire, his rifle exploded into shrapnel in front of his own eyes, sending the man into a state of panic. "What the fuck was that?!" He yelled with fear in his eyes.

"What's going on up there?!" The other gunner shouted at him.

"My gun just fucking exploded!"

"Fine I'll deal with them!" The side gunner was about to open fire, when suddenly out of nowhere a harpy swooped in and snatched the rifle off him with one of her talons.

"Sorry, but no guns allowed!" Kestria shouted with a grin on her face as she gave the man a cheeky wink.

As the gunner panickily got back into the van the dividing panel opened to reveal an irate looking Yrlissa, who was giving the man the evil eye. "What in the blazes is going on out there?" She asked, sounding as if she was ready to kill.

"M-Mistress!" The man exclaimed in a panicked tone. "They've got special forces after us!"

"MON…" She muttered to herself before directing her attention to the driver, "Don't you dare slow down for anything, otherwise you will be punished." She said to the man as her tone grew dark.

"Yes Mistress!"

She then shut the panel again and spoke up to her sisters. "They've sent in special forces to stop us. Kill anyone that comes close."

Keya cracked her knuckles as a sadistic grin curled onto her lips. "About time, I was starting to get bored here." She said as she straightened herself out and face the doors at the back of the van.

Meriel nodded back at her with an expressionless face as she unsheathed her scimitar and did the same.

Llyrana pulled a bow from her quiver and notched it into her bow. "Do we have to kill them?" She started to say in a meek tone. "We'd only get into more- "

"No excuses." The Mistress replied in a threatening tone, causing the girl to flinch in fear before she readied her bow and faced the back of the van. Yrlissa then crouched down in front of the hostages and cupped their cheeks as she gave them a sinister grin. "I hope for your sakes that they keep their distance. Would be a shame if anything happens to either of you now, wouldn't it?"

The two elves glanced at each other with fear in their eyes. They could only hope that this traumatic experience would come to an end soon.

As Kestria was swooping past the SUV, Raia started shouting back at the sergeant. "They've been disarmed, your guys are good to go!"

Sergeant Ogawa nodded at her before calling through the radio. "All units, suspects are disarmed! Surround the damn thing and slow it down!"

The other officers involved all gave their acknowledgement and proceeded to move into position.

"Hmm, looks like it's my turn now." Yuuto muttered to himself before turning to face his mummy squad mate. "Raia, open the sun roof. It's time for phase two."

"Got it." She replied with a smirk on her face as she did as she was asked.

As the sun roof opened, the blonde undid his seatbelt and started to make his way through the opening before Blare spoke up. "Stud, just be careful out there." She said with worry in her voice.

Yuuto looked back at her with a confident smile on his face. "Will do." He answered before climbing out of the vehicle.

As he stood atop the SUV and steadied himself, Kestria flew up to his side with the AK-47 still in her talon. "Hey Hotshot, I got a present for you." She said with a smirk on her face.

"I'll take that!" Raia shouted as she used several wrappings to retrieve the weapon from the harpy effortlessly.

"Nice work Kes, now let's go pay them a visit." He said as he smirked back at her, raising his arms to his sides as he did so.

"Don't have to tell me twice." She replied with a wink.

The raptor harpy positioned herself behind him and grasped her talons around his outstretched arms and proceeded to lift him off from the SUV. They then started flying towards the van as fast as they could, heading right for the man on the roof of the van. Just as the man noticed them, Kestria had dropped Yuuto onto the vehicle and the blonde proceeded to rush him. The criminal pulled out a dagger from his side as fast as he could, but before he could even poise to attack the MON agent, Yuuto unsheathed Black Lotus from its sheath in the blink of an eye and sliced at the dagger, severing the blade from its handle. The man looked down at the handle with fear in his eyes before Yuuto pointed the tip of his katana towards him, forcing him to stand on the edge of the speeding van. The criminal dropped the handle and put his hands up in a panic as he locked eyes with the MON operative, who was shooting him a death glare.

"I-I-I surrender! Please don't kill me!" The man exclaimed as he begged for his life.

As the man was panicking, Yuuto noticed Kestria flying alongside the van right behind him with a smirk on her face. The blonde smirked back at her before looking back at the criminal with a devious look on his face.

"Watch your step." He said to the man before kicking him hard in the chest.

The criminal started screaming as he fell from the van, but Kestria swooped in and caught the man by his legs. "Quit your whining already, you aren't getting off that easy." The raptor harpy said with a smug look on her face.

"Nice catch Kes." Yuuto said as he started moving towards the front of the van. "Go drop him off with one of the cruisers, then prepare to siege the van on my order."

"Roger that, I'll be back before you know it." Kestria replied with a wink before carrying off the screaming criminal to be detained.

Yuuto made it to the front of the van where the driver was and readied himself for his next task. _"Okay, let's see what Black Lotus can do against a van."_ He thought to himself as he raised his katana with both hands, eyeing up the roof of the vehicle with a smirk on his face.

He then used Black Lotus to slice at the roof of the van, making two incisions along the sides and one near the back of the driver's compartment. With that he sheathed his katana and proceeded to pull open an opening for himself to jump through. Both the driver and passenger in the front looked up at him in surprise before Yuuto jumped though the hole and landed in the seat in between them. Before the passenger could do anything to stop him, the MON operative unholstered his tranquilizer gun and shot the man, while simultaneously unsheathing Black Lotus again, placing the edge of the blade against the driver's throat. Now with the passenger unconscious, Yuuto directed his attention towards the driver, who had a look of terror on his face as he tried his best to keep his eyes on the road.

"I suggest you play ball and bring this vehicle to a stop nice and slowly, got it?" The blonde said with a smug look on his face.

"Whatever you say, man! I'm not interested in dying!" The driver answered in a panicked tone, fearful for his life.

"Smart move." Yuuto replied before placing his fingers against his earpiece once more. "Bravo, this is Link. Vehicle should be coming to a stop any second now. Prepare to breach."

Back in the SUV, Blare and Kasumi were getting ready to exit the vehicle while Raia placed her fingers to her earpiece. "Copy that Link, just leave the rest to us."

"It's about damn time." Blare said out loud as her flame lashes ignited with excitement. "I was starting to get bored back here."

"Agreed, I was starting to get pins and needles from sitting still for so long." Kasumi added as she pulled out a pair of smoke bombs from one of her pouches.

"Let's focus ladies." Raia interjected as she noticed the van starting to slow to a stop in front of her, matching the speed of the SUV with it. "This is where things start to get hairy."

As the van came to a stop, the SUV stopped behind it and the three MON operatives made their way out of the vehicle. Raia took cover behind the SUV with the AK-47 at the ready, while Blare and Kasumi took position near the back of the van. Kestria was flying just overhead after dropping off her previous passenger with the police, ready to strike at any moment. Once Blare and Kasumi acknowledged that they were ready, Raia nodded back and shot several straps of bandages from her free arm at the back door of the van. With one pull, the doors flew wide open, only for the mummy to be greeted by an arrow flying straight at her. Raia ducked just in time as the arrow skimmed across the bonnet of the SUV.

"Seriously, why is it always arrows?!" She shouted out loud in annoyance.

Before Llyrana could notch another arrow onto her bow, Kasumi reached for a kunai and threw it at the weapon, the blade cutting the string of the bow in twain. The empusa then threw the smoke bombs she had been carrying into the van. They landed at the entrance of the van and went off, covering the area with plumes of smoke. While the dark elves were disorientated, Blare and Kasumi moved in to incapacitate them. The hellhound was the first to enter the fray as she jumped in through the entrance. As she landed, her ears picked up the sound of someone to her left taking a swing at her. Blare just barely ducked under as a spiked fist went sailing just over her head. The hellhound responded by throwing an open palm towards the attacker and succeeded in grabbing hold of the dark elf's face, which she immediately slammed against the side of the van, knocking the attacker unconscious. Llyrana panicked and grasped the end of her damaged bow and attempted to swing it at the hellhound to try and help her sister, but Kasumi jumped in and knocked it out of her hands with a jab from one of her sickles. The empusa quickly turned on her heel and jabbed her other sickle at the dark elf's face, which then smacked off the side of the van before the girl slumped to the ground now unconscious. Just as the two MON operatives were about to advance, Meriel stepped forwards and swung her scimitar at them, but Blare and Kasumi easily avoided the strike thanks to their heightened senses. The dark elf raised her weapon again, ready to take down anyone that dared near her.

"Incoming!"

The dark elf was distracted as she heard the shouting of a woman from outside. She looked too late as Kestria swooped into the vehicle and thrust her talons forwards, one knocking the scimitar from the dark elf's hands and the other grasping at her head. The raptor harpy landed gracefully on top of the woman as the dark elf's head slammed against the floor of the van hard, knocking her unconscious. Kestria flapped her wings as she cleared the van of smoke and the three MON operatives focused their attention towards the far end of the van where the hostages were supposed to be. They heard muffled grunts of distress as they saw the female elf with a look of panic on her face as she was held in the grasp of the last dark elf, who had one of her daggers against the hostage's throat.

"Nobody move!" Yrlissa yelled in anger as she tightened her grip on the hostage. "Take one more step and I swear I'll kill her!"

The other hostage was still tied up on the ground as he looked on helplessly with fear in his eyes for his co-worker's wellbeing.

Kestria got up onto her talons and took a step back as she raised her wings to her sides. "Hey, take it easy. No one here needs to die." The harpy tried to reason with the dark elf, but this only angered Yrlissa further.

"She's right." Kasumi interjected. "Please calm down and surrender peacefully. You'll only make things worse for yourself."

"You think I'm joking?!" Yrlissa yelled as she pressed the dagger harder against the elf's neck as blood started to trickle from the cut she made. "I'll seriously kill both these high elf scum if I have to! They think they're so high and mighty just because they play nice with the other species, while they look down on us for making use of those feeble humans who'd do anything to fulfil their sexual desires! Well, I've had enough of both high elves and humans dictating how we should conduct ourselves just because they don't have the power to dominate others! Get out of my way, otherwise this little bitch will-!"

Before she could finish her speech, she felt something sharp hit her back. She started to feel drowsy as she slowly lost her grip on her dagger. The weapon clattered on the ground, followed soon after by its owner and the elven hostage. The three MON operatives looked up to see a now open panel with Yuuto with a smirk on his on the other side with his tranquilizer gun pointed at where the dark elf was.

"Looks like someone needs a nap." The blonde jested as he re-holstered his gun.

Kestria, Blare, and Kasumi all let out sighs of relief now that the tense situation was put to an end. "Nice shot Stud." The hellhound said as she rubbed the back of her head. "Wasn't sure how we were going to stop her otherwise."

"Senpai, you always seem to have a knack for showing up at the right time." Kasumi added as a smile graced her lips.

"I do try my best." He replied as he gave his squad mates a thumbs-up. "You all did great today. Now, lets get these ladies detained now, shall we?"

The girls nodded in agreement as they started to take the dark elves out of the van and release the hostages.

* * *

Back at the Kurusu residence, the girls were watching the news intently for the latest update on the current hostage situation.

"This just in." The anchor-woman announced from behind her news desk. "It seems that MON, alongside with the TMPD have successfully apprehended the criminals involved with today's kidnapping at the local liminal embassy, and we have received word that both hostages been rescued with only minor injuries. Motives for the kidnapping have yet to be ascertained, though TMPD will release a statement within the next forty-eight hours."

"Verily, it is good to see that this city is in safe hands. Kazama and his allies should be most proud of their accomplishments." Centorea said with full confidence.

"Yeah, Yuugo and Kress looked super cool!" Papi exclaimed in excitement as she waved her wings excitedly above her head.

"Super cool!" Suu added as she did the same with her arms and tendrils.

"Damn, I didn't realise Kazama-kun was so good with swords." Miia stated with a look of awe on her face.

"Indeed, he certainly made quick work of the deviant on the roof of the van. To be able to achieve such a feat on a moving vehicle is quite impressive." Mero added with a smile on her face as she clasped her webbed hands together.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure Manako was the one that shot that guy's gun earlier, otherwise Kazama would be swiss cheese right now." Rachnera said from behind the group as she rested her chest on the back of the couch.

"I had nay fear that me Love would come out o' this battle unscathed." Lala announced as she placed a hand to her chest. "I would wish tae see if he is truly unharmed when we are able tae do so." She added as a light blush appeared on her cheeks.

A mischievous look crossed Miia's face as she glanced over towards the dullahan. "You just to give Kazama-kun a cuddle and a smooch, don't you?" The lamia asked teasingly as she mockingly placed a hand in front of her mouth.

Lala's cheeks went a brighter shade of red at the red head's accusation and she tried to hide her face behind her scarf as best she could. "A Spectre o' Death needs nay reason tae show their loved ones how much they mean tae them…" She replied in an embarrassed tone.

While the girls were talking, Kimihito was walking by the living room with a basket full of clothes to be hung out to dry when he stopped and noticed what was on the TV. "Look's like MON's been busy today."

"Yeah, they were super cool!" Papi exclaimed as she jumped to her talons. "Yuugo jumped onto the van and was like 'You're going down, Bad guys!' while swinging his sword like 'Whish Whoosh'!" She added as she swung one of her wings around like a sword. "And Kress was like 'No one flies better than me!', and then-!"

"I believe what Papi is trying to say is that the members of MON did a fantastic job of apprehending those dastardly criminals." Centorea interjected, which earned her a pout from the blue-haired harpy. "To think those dark elves would think they'd ever get away with such a heinous crime is beyond me."

"Well, it's good to hear that they're keeping our streets safe." Kimihito replied with a smirk on his face. "Anyway, I need to hang up this washing, and then I'll get started on lunch once I've done that." He continued as he started making his way upstairs.

"I'll come up and help you in a sec Honey, just want to see what they do with those naughty girls." Rachnera said as she focused her attention on the TV again.

"Say Papi," Miia said to get the harpy's attention. "What happened to that skateboard you and Suu found earlier?"

"Skateboard?" Papi questioned as she gave the lamia a confused look. "Papi has one?"

"The one we found by the river this morning." Suu answered as she placed her feeler on the harpy's forehead in hopes of jump-starting her memory.

Papi's eyes widened with realisation as she remembered about the skateboard. "Oh yeah! I took it upstairs and played with if for a bit!"

"I do hope thou hast remembered to put it away once thou were done with it." Centorea began to lecture the girl. "Imagine what calamity would befall us if someone were to- "

"WAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Suddenly they heard their host let out a yelp of surprise, soon followed by the sound of someone falling down the stairs.

"Shit." Rachnera muttered under her breath as she skittered towards the stairs, and everyone else quickly followed suit.

Once they arrived, they found Kimihito crumpled in a heap at the bottom of the stairs with the pile of clothes sprawled on top of him. Rachnera quickly chucked the pile of clothes off of him as she checked to see if he was hurt, while everyone else stood by with looks of worry on their faces.

"Honey! Are you alright?!" The arachne shouted in a panic, but she got no reply from the human.

Tears started welling up in Miia's eyes as she rushed to his side and tried to shake him awake. "Darling, please wake up!" She exclaimed with worry.

There was still no response from Kimihito.

"DARLING!"

* * *

 **A/N: Well, things don't look good for Kimihito, though he'll be okay, right?**

 **Hopefully you've all enjoyed this latest installment of MON - Squad Bravo and feel free to follow and favourite if you've enjoyed the story so far. Drop a review or any suggestions if you feel they're needed, and as always, I hope hoped you've enjoyed reading it.**

 **Until next time!**


	33. Playing Host (Part 1)

It was late afternoon at the nearby hospital and Kimihito was lying in bed with a cast around his left arm and another around his right leg, as well as a roll of bandage around his forehead. The young man had an annoyed look on his face, unhappy about not being able to do anything in his current condition. At the side of his bed, Miia was crouched next to him, determined to stay by his side for as long as she could. Ms Smith was also sat nearby in a chair, while Yuuto stood behind the two women with his hands in his pocket.

"You're able to survive the affections of several liminal women with only a few scratches, and it's a skateboard that sends you to the hospital?" The government agent asked in a teasing tone.

"Seriously, I'm going to pluck that feather-brained idiot when I get back home!" Miia exclaimed, wanting to lash out at Papi with righteous fury for what happened.

"Hey, take it easy Miia." The host interjected in a soothing tone. "It was just an accident, I'm sure Papi didn't mean to let that happen."

"But Darling…"

"Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't been admitted to a hospital before now in all the time we've known each other, despite the fact that you seem to attract trouble." Yuuto added as he gave his friend a genuine look of concern.

"Well, I guess I've been lucky up until now." Kimihito replied as he looked himself over, and he didn't like what he saw. "I just hope I'm not stuck here for too long…"

"You're looking at two weeks at the very least Mr Kurusu."

Everyone in the room looked toward the entrance of the room to see Dr Suzu Tamura walk in holding a clipboard in hand as she scanned the contents over.

"Hey Suzu, it's been a while." Yuuto said as he smirked at the doctor.

Suzu merely smirked back at the blonde as she walked over to him before whacking him on the head with the clipboard.

"Ow, what was that for?" The MON operative complained as he rubbed the top of his head.

"It's Dr Tamura to you. You're not a regular yet and I'd prefer to keep it that way." She answered before redirecting her focus towards Kimihito. "As for you Mr Kurusu, you've sustained a fractured arm and leg, as well as a concussion on top of that. Thankfully that's all there is to worry about right now but you'll need time to recover. Your arm will need four weeks to heal, while your leg could take anything between six to eight weeks. My recommendation is to keep you in for the first two weeks, maybe longer depending on how your recovery goes. After that we'll send you home for the remainder of your recovery time, but you'll need to focus on your rest."

"But I can't wait that long!" The host exclaimed. "I'm a host for the Exchange Program! I need to be at home to look after my homestays!"

"Not in your current condition you're not." Suzu replied in a stern tone.

"Can't you make an exception Dr Tamura?" Miia asked as she raised herself to be at eye level with the doctor. "The house could literally fall apart without Darling."

"I'm sorry but it's doctor's orders. He's staying put." With that Suzu started making her leave. "I have other patients to check up on but I'll be back later."

Kimihito let out a sigh of frustration as Miia returned to his side and lightly stroked his hair in an attempt to comfort her Darling. "Great, what are we supposed to do now?" He said to himself in a defeated tone.

"Don't worry Darling-kun," Ms Smith interjected as she stood to her feet and removed her sunglasses. "We can get someone to cover for you while you're recovering." She then started focusing her attention towards her favourite blonde agent. "Someone that doesn't mind being around liminals, someone that the girls know and trust, someone that- "

"Ms Smith, I know exactly where you're going with this, but you know I already have my hands full with work and all." Yuuto answered as he gave his superior a look of annoyance.

"That shouldn't be a problem Bishie-kun." Kuroko replied, placing her sunglasses back on her face. "I'll get Raia to take command of the squad while you're gone, plus the girls won't mind covering for you either."

Upon hearing that Yuuto had the image of his mummy squad mate lounging around in a throne with the other girls from Squad Bravo tied up in her bandages, alongside with the Squad Alpha girls piled under a mountain of paperwork as Zombina would go on a rampage over the extra work. "Yeah, I think you'll be inciting the apocalypse there…" The blonde said to her with a hint of worry.

"Oh, they'll be fine." Smith replied without a care in the world. "Besides," She continued as she lowered her sunglasses and looked at him suggestively. "don't you want to spend more time with your girlfriend?"

"Deal." Yuuto responded instantaneously without giving it a second thought.

"That was quick!" Miia exclaimed in surprise.

"Yuuto, are you sure it won't be a problem for you?" Kimihito asked, concerned about his friend's wellbeing. "The girls can be a hand full at the best of times."

Yuuto just smirked back at his friend with a face filled with confidence. "Kimihito, I've spent everyday of the last three months around eccentric liminals. I think I can handle myself."

"Then it's settled." Ms Smith spoke up, satisfied with her subordinate's answer. "I'll call Raia to pick you and Miia up. Head back to your place and pack what you need then head straight for the Kurusu residence."

"Got it."

Miia looked back towards her host with worry in her eyes as she continued to stroke his hair. "Darling, please get better soon."

"Don't worry Miia." Kimihito replied while giving her a wide smile. "I'll be back before you know it."

The lamia smiled back at him before giving him a gentle hug. Kimihito merely patted her back for reassurance before the pair separated. As Miia raised herself from his side, tears started welling up in her eyes at the thought of being separated from her host after spending nearly everyday together. Yuuto walked up to the lamia and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"He'll be fine, trust me." The blonde said as he gave her a reassuring smile before turning his attention towards his friend. "I'll see you later Kimihito."

"Yeah, thanks again for doing this Yuuto." Kimihito replied as he waved them off with his good hand.

"It's no problem, just glad I can help." Yuuto said as he started making his leave.

"Bye Darling! I'll be waiting for you when you get back!" Miia exclaimed with a wide smile and a wave as she followed the blonde out of the room.

Once in the corridor and out of sight from her host, Miia's face was replaced with one of worry again, still concerned about Kimihito's wellbeing. Yuuto noticed this and placed a hand one her shoulder once more in an attempt to comfort the lamia.

"Miia, trust me when I say that he's going to be okay, he's one of the toughest people I know."

Miia looked back at him and gave him a sad smile. "I know, but it's going to be weird not having Darling around for such a long time. He's become such a big part in my life and I'd honestly wouldn't know what I'd do without him." She replied as tears started to well up in her eyes again.

"Well, it's going to take a lot more than a tumble down the stairs to get rid of him, that much I'm sure of." Yuuto said while giving her a reassuring smile. "I'll make sure you girls are looked after while he's recovering, it's the least I can do."

The red head wiped her tear from her eyes as she recomposed herself. "Thanks for doing this Kazama-kun, you've really helped us out of a bind."

"It's no problem."

"But," Miia added as she gave the blonde a mischievous grin. "I bet you're just looking for an excuse to spend more time with Lala."

Yuuto's cheeks went bright red as he averted his gaze from the lamia. "Well, I'd be lying if I said that wasn't the case…" He answered in an embarrassed tone.

"I guess men really do only think of one thing, don't they?" She teased as she slithered off ahead of him while giggling to herself.

"Hey! I'm not some one-dimensional harem protagonist you know!" The blonde exclaimed as he tried to keep pace with the lamia.

* * *

Sometime later after picking up the essentials from his apartment, they were making their way to the Kurusu residence along with Raia and Vee. The mummy was driving them over in one of the moving vans the ICEP use to transport some of the larger liminal species, with her, Yuuto, and Vee in the front, while Miia had to travel in the back with Yuuto's and Vee's luggage. As they were driving down, the orange slime was singing a song to herself to pass the time.

 _We're going over to Kurusu's_

 _Kurusu's Kurusu's_

 _We're going over to Kurusu's_

 _To see Papi and Suu_

The slime girl was joyfully singing this out loud over and over, which Yuuto found adorable, though Raia was starting to get annoyed with the seemingly unending tune. The blonde noticed this and directed his attention back to the orange slime.

"Sweetie? I know you like singing but we're almost there, plus Raia is trying to concentrate on driving." Yuuto said to her soothing tone.

Vee stopped as she looked at him with a warm smile on her gelatinous face. "Oh, okay." She replied before turning her attention to the mummy. "Sorry Raia." She added in an apologetic tone.

Raia couldn't help but smirk at the cute gesture. "It's okay Vee, you can sing all you want when we get there."

"Okay!" The slime girl exclaimed joyfully.

After a moment, the siding panel behind them opened and Miia stuck her head through to see what was going on. "Are we nearly there Kazama-kun? It's starting to get really stuffy back here." The lamia complained as sweat beaded down her face.

"I though reptilians liked the heat." Yuuto replied with a confused look on his face.

"Yeah, but us poikilotherms have a hard time maintaining a regular body temperature, and there's such a thing as getting to hot for us." She replied as she started to wave a hand in front of her face to help cool herself down.

"Don't worry, we should be there soon." The human answered, giving the lamia a reassuring smile.

As they continued driving down, a ball bounced in front of the van, followed by a pair of young boys. Raia was quick to react and slammed the brakes hard, halting the van just in front of them. The sudden shift in momentum sent Miia flying through the panel and she landed on Yuuto's back, both of them letting out grunts of pain. The two boys hurriedly picked up their and gave their apologies to the group before getting out of their way.

"Be more careful next time." Raia said to them before turning her attention to the human and lamia next to her. "Are you two alright?" She asked with concern lacing her voice.

Miia pushed herself off Yuuto's back and rubbed her forehead, while the blonde sat up straight and rubbed the back of his head. "I think I'll be alright." The lamia said before returning her focus to the human she was propped up against. "How about you Kazama-kun? I didn't hurt you, did I?" She asked with worry.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Yuuto replied as he looked up at her and gave the girl a reassuring smile. "It'll be minor bruising at most."

"If you're sure." She said as she got off of him. "I'll just go back in the back now." As she started making her way back through the dividing panel, she stopped as her chest and back got caught in between the top and bottom of the frame. She tried to force herself through, but it was no use. She was well and truly stuck.

"Miia, you okay there?" Yuuto asked as he looked back at her, his face full of worry.

The red head's face went red with embarrassment with the compromising position she found herself in. "I think I might be stuck in here." She replied as she hung her head in shame, not wanting to look the MON operative in the eye.

"Well, Kurusu's shouldn't be too far, so just hang on for now." Raia said as she starting making her way to their destination again.

Miia merely nodded and decided to prop herself on Yuuto's back again for the time being, resting her head on top of his, propping her hands on his shoulders, and placing her chest on the back of his neck. Both the lamia's and human's faces went bright red from the embarrassing position they found themselves in, but they had little choice for the time being.

"I'm really sorry about this Kazama-kun." Miia apologised in an embarrassed tone.

"It's alright, it can't be helped." Yuuto answered as he tried not to focus on the soft sensation pressing up against the back of his neck.

Thankfully they soon arrived outside the Kurusu residence and the mummy brought the van to a halt.

The blonde turned to face his squad mate as Miia got off of him as best she could in her current situation. "Alright, Raia, I need you to get in the back and use your wrappings to pull Miia through."

"Got it Medjay." She replied as she got out of the driver's seat and made her way to the back of the vehicle.

"Vee," He continued as he turned to face the orange slime. "I'm going to need you to help lubricate Miia up so we can get her back through."

"You're going to what?!" The lamia exclaimed in shock.

"Okay!" Vee shouted excitedly in reply.

With that, Vee took off her rain coat and boots and changed into her blob form and hopped onto Miia's back, much to the lamia's surprise. The orange slime then crawled to where the Miia was stuck and wrapped herself around the girl's torso.

Miia cringed at the feeling of Vee wrapping herself around her waist and chest, groaning in discomfort as Vee moved into position. "Kazama-kun, does she really need to do this?" She asked, wanting the ordeal to come to an end.

"Do you want to stay stuck in there?" Yuuto asked back as he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"…Not particularly…"

The pair then heard the back of the van being opened by Raia. The mummy stepped in and immediately wrapped several strands of bandages around the Lamia's waist from the other side, causing Miia to gasp in surprise.

"Ready when you are, just give the word." Raia said as tightened her wrappings around Miia.

"Right." The blonde answered before he turned his attention towards the lamia and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Miia, I'm going to need you to push against me as hard as you can when I give the word, got it?"

She merely nodded at him as her cheeks went red before placing her hands against his chest.

"Okay." He continued as the braced against each other. "Three! Two! One! Now!"

On his command, the pair started pushing against each other as hard as they could as Vee crawled around the lamia's torso to help ease her through, while Raia tugged and pulled on her wrappings with all her might on the other side. As the pushed and pulled, the lamia was slow easing her way through the gap, though her large breasts was making the task harder than anticipated.

"C'mon, why did they have to be so big?!" Miia complained out loud.

"They're definitely presenting a problem." Yuuto added before striking upon an idea. "Vee, we need some heavy lifting on this side."

"Got it!" The orange slime replied excitedly as she extended a number of tendrils around Miia's breasts and pushed them against the girl's chest as much as she could.

"Hey, not so rough slime ball! They're pretty sensitive you know!" The red head shouted in irritation.

"Just bear with us a little longer Miia, one more push should do it." He said to her before speaking up to the group. "One more time! Three! Two! One! Now!"

Everyone put their full effort into the next push as Miia was slowly edging her way back through. Miia groaned in discomfort once more as the orange slime around her pressed her breast to her chest for them to get through the gap. Finally, they got passed the lip pf the gap and Miia shot through in a flash, causing Yuuto to bang his head against the back wall of the driver's compartment. He fell back and landed on the dashboard as he clutched at his forehead which was throbbing with pain.

"Ow…" He complained to himself as he got up, still grasping at his forehead in pain as he felt blood trickle down from where he banged his head.

He looked through the dividing panel to see Miia splayed on the floor with a dazed look on her face while she laid on top of Vee, who seemed to be enjoying her cuddle with the lamia. He then saw Raia get into the back of the van after retracting her wrappings from the red head, seeing if the girl was alright.

"Well, you got out in one piece at least." The mummy said with an amused look on her face.

"Yeah, can we just get inside now please?" Miia asked, wishing this day would just be over already.

Yuuto merely sighed to himself over the ordeal they just went through. _"We're not even inside the house yet and this happens. I'm going to be lucky to survive this…"_ He thought to himself despairingly.

After a few minutes of getting Yuuto's and Vee's luggage out and having his forehead tended to by Raia and her wrappings, the mummy was ready to make her leave when she walked up to her squad captain, giving him a look of worry. "Medjay, are you sure you're okay with doing this? We can always get someone else to cover for Kurusu while he's recovering."

"Well, I'm here already, no point in backing down now." Yuuto replied as he gave her a reassuring smile.

Raia smiled back at him and pulled him into a hug. "Just be careful. Call us if you need any help."

"Will do." He said as he returned the hug. "Just don't worry too much, we've handled worse just fine."

"Alright." The mummy replied as she broke the hug and made her way back to the van. "I'll see you soon." She added as she waved at the group.

"Take care Raia, try not to cause any trouble while I'm gone. Same goes for the other girls." He said as he waved her off.

"See you later, and thanks for the help." Miia said as she did the same.

"Bye-bye!" Vee exclaimed joyfully as she waved her arms and tendrils at the mummy.

Raia got into the van and soon drove off as the trio waved her goodbye. As soon as the van was out of sight, Yuuto heard a rustling sound from the foliage by the wall if front of the house. He looked towards it and noticed a long white cowlick sticking out of the bush.

"Babe, you can come out now." The blonde said with a warm smile on his face.

Lala stuck her head out of the bush with it resting in the palm of her hand, being wary of her surroundings. "Is the agent o' the Organisation gone?" She asked in a low tone.

"You know, I'm technically part of the 'Organisation' too Lala, but yeah, she's gone."

With a smile now crossing her lips, the dullahan's body came out of the bush and placed her head back on her shoulders, making sure it was on right. She then rushed towards her boyfriend and pulled him into a loving embrace, which he gladly reciprocated.

"I have been longing tae see ye again me Love." Lala said as she nuzzled against the crook of his neck.

"I've missed you too." Yuuto replied as he gently stroked her hair.

The dullahan pulled back slightly before pressing her lips to his, the couple now engaging in in a passionate kiss as they held each other close, not wanting to lose grip of the other.

"Um, sorry to ruin the moment, but can you two leave it till we're inside at least?" Miia asked awkwardly as her cheeks were almost the same colour as her scales.

The couple realised that they were still outside in public view and quickly separated from each other, both their cheeks now beet red.

"Yeah, sorry about that." The blonde apologised as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Guess we got a little carried away there…"

"Aye, we do nay wish fer our union tae be discovered by the ruling bodies o' this nation…" Lala added as she tried her best to hide her face behind her scarf.

The lamia giggled to herself at the pair's reaction. "Seriously, you two are just way too cute together."

"Yeah, super cute!" Vee added excitedly.

"Anyway," Yuuto started in an attempt to change the subject. "we should get inside and get our stuff sorted." He said as he retrieved his luggage.

"Oh, there's one thing I wanted to ask before we head in." Miia said to the blonde.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well…" She trailed off as she gazed towards one of the bags he was carrying. "Why have you got a sword with you?"

Yuuto glanced at the duffle bag he was carrying and noticed Black Lotus sticking out of it before looking back at the lamia with a deadpan face. "I have my reasons."

"Right…" Miia replied, finding his answer slightly unsettling.

Yuuto then took the lead and made his way to the front door with Lala and Vee practically on his heels while Miia trailed behind them. As they reached the front door, Lala pulled out a key and unlocked the front door before opening it. She was about to step through before Yuuto stopped her by holding his arm out in front of her.

"Me Love, what are ye doing?" She asked with a confused look on her face.

The MON operative dropped his bag and pulled his katana out of its sheath. "Just wait there a sec, this won't take long."

He then took a step forwards and swung wildly at the air in front of him several times. By the time he stopped, the girls behind him noticed many strands of silk floating to the ground in front of them. Yuuto then walked back to his duffle bag and re-sheathed Black Lotus before picking his bag back up. Lala and Vee applauded at the spectacle, while Miia just gave him a look of bewilderment.

"How did you know Rachnee was going to set a trap for you?"

"Lucky guess." He answered with a smirk on his face.

As the group walked into the house and took off their shoes, Rachnera came skittering down the stairs with an annoyed look on her face, displeased that her trap had been sabotaged with such ease.

"Do you have any idea how long it took me to set that up?" The arachne asked with her arms crossed over her chest as she stared daggers at the human.

"What, did you think I forgot about your little threat from the other day?" Yuuto asked in return as he smirked at her.

Rachnera narrowed her eyes at him as she gave him a sadistic smile. "No, but I will say this. You'll have to drop your guard sooner or later, and when you do I'm going to enjoy tormenting you."

"Do ye think it wise tae threaten me Love in front o' me?" Lala questioned the arachne in a grim tone as she materialised her scythe into existence.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic Lala." She answered with a playful smirk as she waved her hand dismissively at the dullahan. "It's only a bit of playful banter."

"Don't worry Babe, I can handle myself." Yuuto said to his girlfriend before turning his attention back to the arachne. "And you are welcome to try catching me Rachnera, but I won't make it easy for you." He said in full confidence.

"Famous last words Kazama." She replied with a playful wink with her left eyes.

Lala let out a groan of annoyance as she dematerialised her scythe and wrapped her arms around Yuuto's arm as she stared daggers at her housemate. The blonde merely looked back at his adorable girlfriend as he let out a chuckle and smiled at her. While this was going on, Papi and Suu came running into the hallway from the living room to see what the commotion was all about. As they saw the group, the pair immediately laid eyes on the orange slime as wide smiles appeared on their faces.

"Vee!" The harpy and blue slime shouted joyfully in unison as they rushed towards her.

"Suu! Papi!" Vee exclaimed with joy as she rushed towards them.

The trio met in the middle and embraced each other like relatives that haven't seen each other in a long time. Everyone else in the hallways smiled at the adorable interaction as the trio started excitedly talking to each other.

"You two are as energetic as ever." Yuuto said to Papi and Suu to grab their attention.

"Oh, hey Yuugo!" The harpy exclaimed as she waved one of her wings frantically at the human.

"It's Yuuto…" He replied with a hint of annoyance.

Just then, Mero rolled in with the help of Centorea to greet their visitors. "Ah, Sir Kazama. It is good to see you again." The mermaid said with a polite smile on her face.

"Indeed." The centaur added. "Prithee tell, art thou to be our caretaker during our master's absence? And what of Milord's injuries?" She questioned with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Yeah, I'll be looking after you girls while Kimihito is recovering." Yuuto started before his tone became more serious. "As for his injuries though, he's going to be stuck in hospital for at least two weeks, and even then, it'll be at least another month till he fully recovers."

As he was explaining the situation, Papi's mood had worsened as her normally cheery expression was replaced with a downcast look, still blaming herself for what happened to Kimihito. Yuuto noticed her change in mood and walked up to her, kneeling down till he was at eye level with the harpy.

"Papi, I know you still feel bad about what happened, but don't worry, he'll be just fine." He said to her in a reassuring tone.

Papi looked back at him, her face full of guilt. "But it was Papi's fault that Boss got hurt so bad. Papi's always stewing things up…"

The blonde chuckled to himself before patting the girl on the head. "I think you mean 'screwing things up'. Accidents happen Papi, you can't keep blaming yourself for what happened. Kimihito told me that he knows you didn't mean for it to happen, no one's made at you."

"Really?" She questioned as she looked wide-eyed at the blonde.

Miia just grumbled to herself, still pissed off with the harpy's negligence.

"Really." Yuuto answered as he gave her a warm smile. "Just try to be more careful in future, okay?"

Papi smiled back at the human and nodded enthusiastically at him. "Okay, Papi can do that!" She exclaimed, returning to her chipper self with a massive grin on her face.

"Good to hear." Replied as he lifted his hand from her head and stood to his feet. "You, Suu and Vee can go off and play now if you want, I've got some stuff to sort out."

"Will do!" The harpy yelled excitedly as she saluted him with her wing.

Suu turned her attention to her orange counterpart and spoke up. "Vee, Papi and I were going to play Mario Kart. Do you want to play with us?"

"Sure!" Vee replied enthusiastically. "I call dibs on Princess Rosalina!" She added as she ran into the living room with Papi and Suu close on her heels.

"Thou certainly hast a way with words Kazama, Papi hasn't been herself since the accident earlier." Centorea spoke up as she gave the human a warm smile.

"Yes, it is good to see her being her usual self once more." Mero added with a joyous smile on her face. "I just hope that we don't prove too much of a burden during your time here Sir Kazama."

"I'm sure I'll be fine." Yuuto answered as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But honestly, I'd prefer it if you girls could just call me Yuuto while I'm here. There's no need for you to be so formal with me."

"If that is what you wish Sir Yuuto." The mermaid replied as she clasped her hands together and gave him a sweet smile.

"That's not what I- "

Before he could finish, he suddenly felt Miia's tail wrap around his waist, causing the human to look back and see an innocent smile on the lamia's face. "Sorry Yuuto-kun, but can we talk in private for a sec? It won't take long." Before he could answer, the red head rushed upstairs, dragging him along with her as he let out a surprised yelp.

"Serpent! What do ye plan tae do with me Love?!" Lala shouted with a mix of anger and worry in her voice as she chased after them.

*Sigh* "Zounds, what is that girl up to now, and with Ka- I mean Yuuto of all people?" Centorea asked out loud as she rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"I don't know, but at least things are starting to get interesting around here." Rachnera replied in a mischievous tone as a smirk crossed her lips, intrigued by the possibilities of what her lamia house mate had in mind for poor Yuuto.

* * *

As they reached her room, Miia dragged the human in with her tail and slammed the door behind her. She then sat him on the bed before taking a seat next to him as Yuuto gave her a questioning look.

"Miia, what is this all about?"

The lamia fidgeted with her hands as a light blush appeared on her cheeks. It looked like she had something important to talk about, but she was to embarrassed to say in front of the others. Eventually she turned to face him as a look of determination crossed her face.

"Yuuto-kun, there's something I need to know from you…" She paused for a moment as her nerves seemed to grow tenfold, but she took a deep breath to recomposed herself and continued. "I NEED YOU TO TELL ME WHAT KIND OF GIRL DARLING REALLY LIKES!" She blurted out suddenly, causing the blonde to jump back slightly in surprise.

Yuuto just started back at her, surprised by the sudden request. "…Wait, that's it?"

Miia nodded enthusiastically at him as she stared at him with hopeful eyes. "Yeah. Since Miss Smith said that Darling could marry one of us, I've been doing my best to get him to notice me and pick me to be his bride." She started as she pressed her hands to her cheeks with a dreamy look on her face, but soon it was replaced with a look of worry as her lips pulled down into a frown. "But lately, it feels like I've been getting nowhere with him, and it doesn't help that we hardly get any alone time either with all the other girls around." Suddenly her frown disappeared as she looked back to Yuuto with a look of determination on her face once more. "I need to find out what he likes in a woman so I can stand out more to him, that's the only chance I have of getting him to marry me. So, will you help me Yuuto-kun?" She asked the blonde, now giving a pleading look.

The MON agent looked back at her with a look of uncertainty as he began to speak. "I'd love to help, but the thing is, I have no idea what he's into when it comes to women, apart from his leg fetish that is."

"Yeah, I found that out a while back…" She replied with a pout as she looked at the tip of her tail she was swaying lazily from side to side on the floor.

Yuuto smirked at her as he continued. "All I can really tell you is that he's always been indecisive and that he's absolutely hopeless when it comes to romance. You've got to understand that he's not used to getting all this attention from so many attractive women, and it's still going to take him some time to adjust to this whole situation. One piece of advice I can give is just be patient with him for the time being, I'm sure I'd be as stressed out as he is if I were in his shoes."

"Well, you are in his shoes for the next couple weeks, aren't you?" Miia asked while giving him a teasing smirk.

"…Yeah, get back to me on that one..."

The red head giggled at his answer for a moment before returning to the topic at hand. "So, what should I do in the meantime then?"

"Well, try and go easy on the guy for now. I'm sure Kimihito will appreciate not getting injured on a daily basis at the very least. Otherwise, just keep being yourself. I bet there's a reason why you're still his homestay despite everything that's happened." The blonde replied as he gave her a reassuring smile.

Miia gave him a warm smile in return as her cheeks went red, hopeful that what Yuuto said was in fact true. "Yeah, I guess you're right." In a sudden move even surprised the human, the red head wrapped her arms around his chest as pulled him into a gentle hug as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Thank you so much Yuuto-kun."

Yuuto couldn't help but smirk to himself as he patted the lamia on the back. "It's no problem Miia." After a moment or two, Miia broke from the hug as the blonde stood to his feet, stretched his arms as he did so. "I should probably get going for now, my bags aren't going to unpack themselves."

"Yeah, sorry about dragging you up here so suddenly earlier, I just got a bit excited." Miia replied with an embarrassed smile.

"No worries, we're good." He responded as he gave her a thumbs-up. "If you ever want to talk, just come find me. I'll see you later." He added as he made his way to leave her room.

"See you later Yuuto-kun!" Miia exclaimed as she waved a hand at him. "And try to behave yourself while you're smooching with Lala." She added with a teasing grin.

"I always do." He answered as he furrowed his eyebrows at the red head.

As Yuuto left Miia's room and shut the door behind him, he glanced to his side to see Lala leaning against the wall with a look of melancholy on her face. As she looked to her left and saw her boyfriend though, her face brightened up as her lips pulled into a warm smile and her cheeks went a faint shade of red.

"Me Love, I hope that Serpent has nay put ye through some horrific ordeal within her lair." The dullahan enquired with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Nah, she just wanted to talk, that's all." The blonde replied as he gave her a reassuring smile.

"That is good tae hear." She said as she moved from the wall and wrapped her arms around his and rested her head against his shoulder. "I have transported yer belongings tae Kurusu's sanctum fer the time being. I had presumed that ye would make it yer safe space while ye are staying with us."

"Yeah, thanks Babe." Yuuto replied as he planted a kiss on her forehead, causing his girlfriend's cheeks to go a brighter shade of red.

Lala loosened one of her arms and placed a hand on his chest as she looked up at him lovingly. "If ye are able tae, I would implore ye tae accompany me tae me sanctum and share in our affections."

He couldn't help but give her a warm smile as his own cheeks went red. "I'd love to"

With that the dullahan led Yuuto to her room with their hands held tightly together. Lala opened the door to her room and guided him inside. As the blonde shut the door behind him, Lala couldn't help but press herself against his chest with her hands clasping onto his shoulders as the human's back rested against the back of the door. Their lips soon locked together, and they were passionately making out as Yuuto wrapped an arm around the girl's waist and placed a hand on the back of her head, pulling her closer into their loving embrace. Lala raised a hand to cup his cheek and caressed it with her thumb as their tongues fought for dominance over the other. The reaper was so caught up in her affections that she wrapped a leg around his, not wanting to let go of her lover. She'd occasionally let out quiet moans as they continued their passionate kissing, while Yuuto took the opportunity to caress the thigh of her leg which was wrapped around his, causing his girlfriend to tremble with excitement. Soon their lips separated as they felt the need to breathe, and Lala rested her head in the crook of his neck as the pair caught their breath.

"It has felt like an eternity since we were last able tae connect together like this." The young reaper said as she continued to caress his cheek.

"I know, but work kept me busy for last couple of weeks, not to mention all the dates I had to go on." Yuuto replied as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in as close as possible. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting Lala, I've missed doing this with you." He added in an apologetic tone.

The dullahan looked back up at him and stared at him lovingly before she playfully nipped at his bottom lip. "I've missed yer touch too Yuuto." She responded as she nuzzled against his chest affectionately.

After a moment of cuddling, the pair separated as Lala started guiding them towards her bed to get more comfortable. Yuuto got on the bed and rested his back against the head rest. Lala sat next to him before she snuggled up against his chest and laid her legs across his, wrapping her arms around his chest as he placed an arm against her leg and a hand behind her head.

"I am glad ye have come tae us in our time o' need. I do nay wish tae imagine what fate would have befallen us if nay fer yer kindness." Lala said before planting a kiss on his cheek.

Yuuto looked back at her with loving eyes as he gently stroked her silky hair. "Happy to help, but I will admit it was a good excuse to spend more time with you." He replied as his cheeks went red again.

"It fills me heart with joy tae hear ye say that," She started as she cuddled up closer to him. "but it also fills me with sorrow tae know that our love is at constant risk o' being torn asunder by the current laws o' this land."

"I feel the same way," He replied as he wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. "but you know I'll do anything to hold onto what we've got now."

"And I would do the same fer ye me Love." She then looked up at him as she raised a hand to cup his cheek once more. "Yuuto, despite the challenges that await us, I feel as if the Fates have destined fer us tae be bound together."

Yuuto smirked back at his girlfriend as he rested his forehead against hers. "I'm glad you think that, but I don't need anyone, especially fate to tell me whether I should be with you or not, because at the end of the day it's our choice to make, not anyone else's."

Lala gave him a warm smile at hearing this. "It is yer undying determination that makes ye so special tae me and why I love ye so much. Please, by the gods never change." She replied before pecking him on the lips briefly.

"I don't plan on changing anytime soon Babe. For now, let's just focus on enjoying ourselves and keeping this house from falling into chaos while Kimihito is gone."

"Tis nay an easy task tae accomplish, but I shall assist ye as best as I can."

The blonde smirked at her response. "Well, I'll be counting on you then."

With that the pair pressed their lips together once more as the started glossing over each other. As they began to make out again, Yuuto thought about the many challenges waiting for him, but he knew that with Lala at his side, he'd be able to overcome just about anything. Taking care of seven liminal women couldn't be that difficult, right?

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the new chapter, wanted to see how Yuuto would handle hosting the girls in Kimihito's place for a short while and I hope you guys enjoy the shenanigans ahead. I've got a few scenarios planned for this situation, but if you guys have an suggestions for what you what to happen while Yuuto is playing host, please let me know.**

 **As always, follow and favourite if you enjoy the story and feel free to drop a review or any suggestions for the story. Thank you for reading, and I'll see you next time.**


	34. Playing Host (Part 2)

**A/N: Sorry about the delay, I was struggling with how to lay out the different scenes in this chapter. I tend to just have a basic idea of what I want to happen, but I rarely plan out the details in advance. Hopefully it turns out alright and it doesn't end up dragging in places. Anyway, hope you enjoy the new chapter, and what awaits Yuuto during his stay at the Kurusu residence you may ask? Well, you'll just have to read to find out!**

* * *

It was early morning at the Kurusu residence, and light was starting to spill into Kimihito's room through the window. Yuuto laid under the covers as he started to stir from his slumber. As he tried to get up, he felt a weight keeping him pinned to the bed. He glanced to his side to see Lala resting her head against his right shoulder as she slept peacefully. He then flung the covers from himself to find her body clung to his left side, only wearing a white tank top and black shorts, as well as her black scarf to cover her neck. He had gone to bed alone, but it seemed that his girlfriend snuck in during the night, wanting to take every opportunity to cuddle up to him.

Yuuto just smirked to himself as his cheeks went a faint shade of red. _"Should've expected her to do this sooner or later."_ He thought to himself as he wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and his right arm around her head.

As he did so, he felt her body shift itself, so it was now laying right on top of him with her breast pressing up against his chest. He glanced to his right to see her head still sound asleep. He glanced up at her body, though he was unprepared for the sight of seeing her exposed cross-section.

He quickly glanced up again with an embarrassed look on his face, also feeling slightly nauseous from seeing his girlfriend's oesophagus. _"Well, that's going to take some getting used to…"_ As he was looking up, he noticed that the covers he threw off them were still mysteriously hanging in the air above the pair. "What the hell?" He muttered to himself with a look of bewilderment.

As he moved Lala's body to the side and sat himself up, her head began to stir from it's slumber as her body began to prop itself up. "Good morning me Love. I hope ye rested well in the realm o' Morpheus." She said while stifling a yawn as her body wrapped her arms around his chest.

Yuuto looked down at her head and gave her a warm smile. "Hey Babe, yeah I slept great." He replied as he placed a hand on her arm and gently rubbed it, causing her body to hold him tighter in their embrace. "But I think we have a bit of a situation here."

A look of worry crossed her face. "What perils await us this time?"

The blonde loosened himself from her body's grip and picked up her head with both hands. As they looked around Kimihito's room, they saw that there were many strands of silk criss-crossing all over the space leaving very little room to move. They noticed many more above them that were suspending the covers in mid-air.

"Looks like Rachnera's been busy while we were sleeping." Yuuto replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

*Sigh* "I see that she still holds a vendetta against ye fer yer trick the other day."

"Doppel's prank, thank you very much. She was the one that dragged me into it." He replied defensively.

"Regardless, this is a simple trap tae disarm, though I require ye tae restore me tae me full power." Lala replied, her voice full of determination.

"Sure thing, I just hope that scythe of yours isn't just for show."

Just as he was about to put Lala's head back onto her body, a knocking came from the bedroom door, soon followed by Centorea's voice. "Caretaker Yuuto, art thou awake?" She asked in a respectful tone.

"Yeah, I am, and you can drop the 'Caretaker' title while you're at it." The human answered with a hint of annoyance as he placed the girlfriend's head back on her shoulders, which she immediately readjusted.

"M-My apologies!" She responded as she burst through the door. "I only meant to show thee respect while thou art-!"

"Hold on Centorea! Don't come in here!" Yuuto shouted in an attempt to stop her, but his warning came too late.

As she came into the bedroom, she let out a yelp of surprise as she was immediately tangled up in all the lines of silk the arachne had set up for Yuuto. The centaur began to flail about in a panic, but it only succeeded it getting her more entrapped within the silk. Luckily for the human though, Centorea's flailing had managed to open a safe passage between the bed and the door.

"Confound that spider and her traps!" The equestrian knight shouted in irritation as she struggled to free herself. "She will feel my wrath once I'm free of these snares!"

"Calm down and quit your flailing, will you?" He asked as he got off the bed and made his way to the door. "I'll have you down in a sec." As he made his way to the door, he shut it and found Black Lotus propped against the wall in its sheath. He then unsheathed the katana and made his way to the now calm centaur. "Okay, I'll need you to stay still while I cut you free, got it?"

"As thou wish, but prithee, I wish to be released as soon as thou art able to. This sticky sensation is becoming rather unbearable." She answered in an embarrassed to, staying as still as possible.

Before he could attempt to free the centaur, the door opened once more to reveal Rachnera with a mischievous smile on her face, hopeful that her trap succeeded in ensnaring her intended target. "Sounds like someone's gotten a little tied up this morning." The arachne said teasingly before laying her eyes on her equestrian house mate, and her smile was soon replaced with a pout. "Oh, it's just you Horse Flesh. That trap was meant for Yuuto you know." She added with a look of disappointment.

"I care not for thy target Rachnera! Thou should be treating our caretaker with the greatest of respect for what he is doing for us! Plus, I am rather sick and tired of thy traps!" Centorea shouted in anger as she tried to shake herself free.

"Hey, a girl has to keep her skills sharp, just like you keep swinging that piece of steel around."

"Can you two quit bickering for a second please?" Yuuto asked the two girls with a hint of annoyance. "I have other stuff to sort out once I've dealt with this mess." He then focused on the arachne and gave her a stern look. "Haven't you got anything better to do right now?"

"What, and miss out on our dear fledgling knight's struggle with some webs? Perish the thought." Rachnera answered in a teasing tone.

"Yuuto," The centaur spoke up as her cheeks went red from her compromising position. "may I beseech thee to free me from these bonds now? I wish to get on with my morning routine…"

Yuuto nodded in response and poised his blade to slice her free from her sticky prison. Within moments, he slashed through all the threads around her and the centaur fell to the floor with a grunt. He then knelt next to her and carefully cut through the threads that had bound her arms and legs together during her struggle. Once done, he stood up and re-sheathed his katana as Centorea stood to her hooves, pulling off the remainder of the silk from her body.

"Thou hast my deepest gratitude Yuuto." She said respectfully as she gave him a bow.

"It's no problem, really." Yuuto replied as he rubbed the back of his head. "Just helping a friend out."

"Well, so much for my morning entertainment." Rachnera muttered to herself before attempting to skitter off. "I'll let you guys get on with it."

"Hold it." The human spoke up, stopping the arachne in her tracks. "We need your help cleaning up your silk." He continued in a commanding tone.

"Really? Because it seems you have things under control already." The spider woman replied as she pointed towards the bed.

Yuuto looked over to the bed to see that Lala had materialised her scythe and was slicing away at the webs that the bed sheets were clinging to. He then looked back to her with furrowed eyebrows. "Yeah, but you're the only one who can move your silk around without getting stuck to them. So, I'd appreciate it if you could help clean up YOUR mess." He said to her in an irate tone.

*Sigh* "Fine, I'll help. We kind of need you to take care of other stuff anyway." She said in a defeated tone as she went to help Lala clean up the mess, though she stopped next to him and lowered herself to whisper into his ear. "And just so you know, we're not finished with this little game of ours." She added with a smirk on her lips.

"Oh, I'm just looking forward to it…" He replied unenthusiastically, earning a chuckle from the arachne before she raised herself and made her way to assist her dullahan housemate.

"Yuuto," Centorea spoke up again to grab the human's attention. "I had originally come to request thee to accompany me on my morning jog, seeing as Milord would normally do so, and that thou partake in this activity on a daily basis thyself. Would it trouble thee to do so?"

"Sure thing. Just let me get changed first." He replied, giving her a warm smile.

Before he could do so, the doorbell rang downstairs, much to everyone's surprise. Yuuto checked the time on his phone and found that it was only 5:25AM.

"Who would come calling at this hour?" The centaur questioned with a look of confusion on her face.

Yuuto just sighed to himself as he started making his way downstairs the Centorea in tow. "I could probably take a guess…"

The pair were soon downstairs, and the MON operative told the centaur to stand back as he made his way to the front door. He took a deep breath before he began to open the door, prepared for what was about to happen. As he opened the door, a black and crimson blur tackled him and knocked him to the ground. He lifted his head and looked down to see Blare with her arms wrapped around him as she nuzzled against his chest with a look of worry on her face.

"Stud! Thank god you're okay! I was so worried about you!" The hellhound yelled as she gripped to him tighter.

Yuuto couldn't help but smirk at her as he started to pet her to calm her down. "Hey, it's okay. I haven't even been here for a full day, so just calm down, will you?" He said to her in a calming tone.

Blare eventually let go of him and was now kneeling in between his legs as the human sat himself up. "I'm sorry, it's just that when I heard you were staying at Kurusu's place, I thought that something bad might've happened. You know what this place is like."

"Blare, I'll be fine, trust me." He replied in full confidence.

The hellhound smiled back at him before they both stood up. "Alright, you seem to know what you're getting yourself into at least." She said hesitantly.

"Right. Anyway, I can only imagine why you'd be here so early in the morning." He said sarcastically as he took notice of her jogging outfit.

Blare giggled at him before bumping shoulders with her squad captain. "Like you're getting out of our morning routine that easily." She replied as she gave him a teasing wink.

"Well, today's your lucky day. Centorea and I were just about to head out ourselves." Yuuto said as he hooked a thumb towards the centaur standing behind him. "We just need to get changed first."

"That's no problem, my 'Plus One' need a quick breather anyway." She responded as she hooked a claw-tipped thumb behind her.

Yuuto and Centorea looked behind her to see a human with short jet-black hair, wearing a grey short-sleeved polo shirt, blue running shorts and a pair of white trainers. The man was currently resting his forehead against the frame of the door, taking quick and shallow breaths as his skin glistened with sweat.

"It's… okay…" He responded between ragged breaths. "Take all… the time… ya want…"

"Oh, c'mon Itaru." Blare teased as she walked up to him and patted him on the back. "You'd think you'd have better stamina with your line of work."

"Wait, Hase?" The blonde human asked in surprise. "Since when did you and Blare start hanging out?"

"Well… ya know… met at Oni's one night… started drinkin' and talkin'… next thing ya know… we're practically datin'…" Hase answered while still trying to catch his breath.

Blare's cheeks went bright red as she turned to face her squad captain and waved her hands frantically at him in a panic. "Don't get the wrong idea Stud! I like the guy, but we're not doing anything illegal, honest!" She shouted panickily as she became flustered.

Yuuto just raised an eyebrow at her, thinking she was making too big a reaction out of the situation, though this was par the course when it came to the hellhound. "Okay, so you two are dating. So, what? I don't see the problem as long as you two aren't fucking."

His squad mate stared wide-eyed at him in surprise, not expecting him to be so calm about the situation. "Wait, you're okay with this?!" She exclaimed with a look of confusion.

Centorea, who had been quiet and respectful up until now stepped forwards and made her concerns known. "I am also rather surprised. What she's doing is technically in breach of the exchange accord, even if she isn't a student in the program." She said to the human MON agent matter-of-factly.

Yuuto turned his head to face the centaur as he furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Yeah, I'm not exactly one to talk, see I'm dating a liminal myself."

*Sigh* "Thou doth make a fair point Yuuto." She replied as she relented to him. "If thou art willing to overlook this, then it is not my place to speak against it. My housemates, as well as myself art yearning for our master's affections also after all…" She continued as she started to fidget with her fingers, her cheeks burning bright red in embarrassment.

Yuuto gave the equestrian knight a warm smile in return, happy with her decision. "Good to hear." He then walked up to his squad mate and gently pat her on the head, giving her the same warm smile. "Anyway, I'm happy for you two. Just don't do anything that'll land you in trouble, alright?"

Blare looked up at him and gave him a wide smile full of joy. "Got it, and thanks a lot Stud! You're the best!"

The blonde human removed his hand from her head and took a step back as Hase finally stood himself up straight, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his arm as he moved next to the hellhound. "See, I told ya we'd have nothin' ta worry about." He said to her with a look of relief on his face.

Yuuto smiled at the pair, happy that they found each other, though he knew that his squad mate was going to make life difficult for poor Itaru. "Anyway, I'll head up and get changed now, shouldn't take me too long." He said as he started to make his way upstairs, giving them a wave as he did so.

"As will I, so please, make thyself comfortable while thou wait." Centorea added as she followed Yuuto up.

"Thanks, Centorea. We'll see you in a sec." Blare replied as she waved the pair off. After they disappeared upstairs, she looked up at her boyfriend before wrapping her arms around his, resting her chin on his shoulder as her cheeks went bright red once more. "I'm really glad that Stud is okay with us dating." The hellhound said before giving him a mischievous grin. "Though you do realise that seeing that we can't have sex, you'll have to satisfy me in other ways, right?" She asked him as she gave him a teasing wink.

Itaru's face also went bright red, though he was happy to hear the hellhound say that. "Well, I guess it's a sacrifice a guy's gotta make." He said with a smile as her rubbed the back of his head.

Happy with his answer, Blare licked the man's cheek, causing his face to go a brighter shade of red. "Good boy." She said as she started guiding him to the living room. "Might as well enjoy ourselves while we're waiting for them."

"Heh, ya don't have to tell me twice." He replied with a smirk on his face.

* * *

After a while, Yuuto and Centorea had gotten changed and the group headed out on their run. They made their way to the nearby park on Blare's and Yuuto's usual route. The two MON operatives took the lead while Centorea followed behind matching her pace with theirs, though Hase was starting to drag behind, not used to running so much in the morning, though the hellhound would quickly change that. Blare talked to her captain about her concerns over his current situation staying at the Kurusu residence, but Yuuto quickly reassured her that he was going to be alright. Not long after, they had to go their separate ways, though the hellhound gave her captain a hug goodbye before dragging her boyfriend off back home, the poor man being nearly on the verge of collapse.

Yuuto and Centorea made it back to Kimihito's place in good time and let themselves inside. Their skin was glistening with sweat as the human took off his running shoes and the centaur scraped her hooves clean on the door mat. As they were about to head off towards the bathroom to get cleaned up, Yuuto heard someone making a pleasant humming tune from the kitchen, though the smell that accompanied it was far from pleasant as it assaulted their nostrils.

"Holy crap, what is that?" He asked as he held his nose tight to stop the assault on his nostrils, though it proved ineffective.

"I doth believe it to be one of Miia's vile concoctions. I would advise caution if thou art willing to confront her on the matter." Centorea answered as she did the same. "She seems determined to improve her culinary skills, though it has yet to yield any successful results."

"Yeah, I should probably supervise her." Yuuto replied before letting out a sigh. "Centorea, can you get everybody up while I deal with this? Might as well start on breakfast while I'm at it."

"It would be my pleasure!" The centaur exclaimed with a look of determination. "I wish thee luck!" She added as she began her rounds.

With the centaur gone, the human took a deep breath and bravely made his way to the kitchen. As he walked in, he found the red-haired lamia happily tending to her masterpiece, which from his current viewpoint seemed to be emitting a horrid purple steam, which Miia seemed to be oblivious to. Miia heard him walk into the dining area and turned to face him, wearing a pink frilly apron and a large pair of oven mitts on her hands

She beamed a wide smile at Yuuto as she slithered up to him. "Morning Yuuto-kun!" She exclaimed excitedly as she got in his face. "I hope you slept well."

"Yeah, I had a good sleep, thanks." He replied before glancing past her to see the calamity that had befallen the kitchen. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, I'm just cooking breakfast, silly."

" _Yeah, looks more like a science experiment gone wrong."_ The MON agent thought to himself.

"Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your advice yesterday, so I thought I'd cook up breakfast for everyone." She then grabbed him by the hand and started dragging him towards the dining room table. "C'mon, you have to try this!"

"Hey, hold up a sec!" The blonde protested, but she ignored him and sat him down at the table.

"You just wait right there while I serve up your breakfast stew." She told him before slithering back into the kitchen with haste.

"Breakfast stew?!"

Within moments, Miia was back holding a bowl and a spoon in her hands and placed them on the table in front of him. "Yeah, I thought making all the stuff separately would take too long, so I just put everything together into one simple dish!" She explained before placing her hands on her now reddened cheeks as a dreamy look appeared on her face. "Oh, Darling is going to be so proud of me!"

Yuuto looked down at his 'stew?' and his face contorted into a look of horror. The abomination of a meal consisted of a purple goop with bits of salad, rice, and a mixture of fish heads and bones floating around in the still bubbling concoction. The smell that accompanied it smelt like burning rubber, not something you'd normally associate with something edible.

"Well, it certainly looks interesting at least…" The blonde commented, trying his best to hide his disgust.

"I know, I just hope it tastes better it looks."

"Wait, you haven't tasted it?!" Yuuto exclaimed in shock

Miia's cheeks went red as she started fidgeting with her fingers, trying her best to avoid eye contact with the human. "Well, lamiae are technically carnivores and as such we don't have the greatest sense of taste. So, I thought you could taste-test it for me just to make sure if Darling will like it or not…" She said in an embarrassed tone.

He looked back down at the concoction once more as it bubbled away. He swore he just saw a fish head blink at him. "Miia, for all I know this could kill me."

The red head leaned down till she was at eye level with Yuuto. "Oh, please will you try it Yuuto-kun?! I really want to get this right!" She practically begged to him.

He looked back at her and saw the last thing he wanted to see in this situation. She was giving him puppy dog eyes. The blonde mentally cursed himself over his inability to turn down a request from a cute girl giving him that look, he would feel too guilty to say no to her otherwise. He struggled to make up his mind, but eventually he relented to her gaze, letting out a sigh of frustration.

"Okay, I'll give it a try…" He replied unenthusiastically.

Miia gave him a warm smile in return, happy with his answer. "Thanks, Yuuto-kun, I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

With that, he looked back to the 'stew' and hesitantly dipped the spoon into it, half expecting it to melt on contact. He pulled it out of the concoction, the spoon heaped with rice and fish and whatever the purple juice was supposed to be, and he slowly edged it towards his mouth. After taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth wide before slurping up the contents on the spoon. Miia stared wide-eyed at him in anticipation as the blonde slowly chewed on it. To his surprise, it did taste alright for the most part, not quite like how the traditional Japanese breakfast would taste, but at least he wasn't gagging on it.

After a moment, he swallowed it before looking back to the lamia. "It's not bad, though I have to ask. What exactly did you put in it?" He asked, though he would soon come to regret that decision.

"Oh, just your typical stuff, fried fish, boiled rice, green salad, miso soup, what you'd expect from a normal breakfast."

As he listened to her, his tongue was soon assaulted by an unpleasant aftertaste, along with a spicy sensation. "Miia, did you add something spicy to it?" Yuuto asked with worry.

Miia beamed a wide smile at him. "I'm glad you noticed. Seeing that since breakfast is supposed to energize you for the day, I thought it would be great to spice it up a bit. So, I added some chilli powder, red peppers, a spoon full of wasabi, jalapenos,"

As she listed off what spices she added, Yuuto suddenly felt a cramping sensation in his stomach, and he grasped his hands to it as his face was slowly turning purple. "Miia, I don't feel so good…" He tried to tell her, but she was too preoccupied with trying to remember all the spices she added.

"cinnamon, horseradish, and I think I put in a dash of paprika too. Oh, and there's also some-!"

The red-head was cut short as she heard something hit the table hard. She looked to her side to see Yuuto laying his head on the side of the table, his eyes gone blank as his face took on a disturbing shade of purple, his mouth agape as he was barely able to breathe.

"Oh my God! Yuuto-kun, are you alright?!" Miia cried out in distress as she rushed to his side before trying to shake him from his vegetated state. "C'mon, speak to me!"

He gave no response as his head flailed back and forth from the girl's shaking.

Just then, Centorea came trotting into the dining room to see what all the commotion was about. "Miia, must thou make such a ruckus so early in the day? We've already had several complaints from the neighbours abAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The centaur screamed in shock at seeing the state Yuuto was in, looking as if he was currently knocking on Death's door. "What hast thou done to our caretaker?! Art thou trying to poison him?!" She shouted as she pointed an accusatory finger at the bowl of 'stew'.

"Hey! My cooking has gotten better you know!" Miia shouted back in irritation.

The centaur then rushed over to the MON agent's side and pushed her housemate out of the way to check him over. "Thy latest experiment begs to differ, but that is besides the point." She found that Yuuto was still breathing and that his heart rate was normal, though the shade of purple the human's cheeks took on suggested that his body was struggling to digest the 'stew' he had consumed. "Miia, go fetch some water for him, maybe that'll be enough to quell his stomach." She said calmly as she tried to sit him up straight.

Just as the lamia was about to do so, Rachnera came skittering into the dining room, stretching her arms above her head as she let out a yawn. "Good morning, what are you two bickering about this-" She cut herself off as she noticed the blonde human sitting back in his chair in a vegetated state. "Oh my, Snakey. It hasn't even been a day and you've already poisoned him?" She asked teasingly as she place a hand over her mouth in mock shock. "And here I thought you two were getting along so well."

"It's not like that Rachnee! He offered to try it for me!" She exclaimed in self-defence.

"I highly doubt he would've offered willingly." Centorea spoke up in disbelief. "I'm surprised that Milord didn't warn Yuuto about thy inability to cook anything edible."

Miia just pouted to herself, getting tired of everyone criticising her cooking.

Rachnera skittered up past her equestrian housemate and made her way into the kitchen. She quickly retrieved some digestive tablets from one of the cupboards and filled a glass of water before making her way to Yuuto. "If you two are done bickering like children, I'd appreciate it if you helped me sort Yuuto out here." She said to the girls in a stern tone before she stopped by his side and handed the glass to the centaur. "Horse Flesh, hold this for a second, will you?"

"Of course."

The arachne gently lifted Yuuto's head up, then carefully opened his mouth before placing the tablets inside. Once she stepped back, Centorea put the glass to his lips and started pouring the water inside, careful not to let it spill. Miia looked on with worry, now feeling guilty about what she'd put him through for her selfish desires. Thankfully the MON agent was able to swallow without any assistance, to which the three liminals sighed in relief. It would only be a matter of time before he'd come to again.

"He should be fine now." Rachnera said as with a sense of relief. "Let's just hope he comes to before anyone else shows up."

Just as she said that, a certain dullahan walked into the kitchen, unknowing of what had just transpired. "Greetings Mortals," She started in her usual chuunibyou fashion. "Tell me, have ye seen me Love? I wish tae-" She stopped abruptly as she noticed her boyfriend sat in a chair, seemingly on the verge of death. "Yuuto!" She exclaimed as she rushed to his side. "Please, do nay go tae the Underworld!" She added as she shook him but got no response. She then stood up and eyed the three other women as a dark vengeful aura appeared around her. "What have ye done tae him?" She said in a low threating tone, which caused them to flinch in response.

"Don't look at me, it was Snakey who poisoned him." Rachnera answered as she pointed towards her lamian housemate.

"Hey! I didn't poison anyone!" Miia shouted, still desperately trying to defend herself.

Lala focused her gaze towards the red head and started moving towards her as she materialised her scythe into her hands. "Serpent, ye shall pay dearly fer this transgression." She said to her with barely contained anger.

"Whoa, hold on a second!" The lamia exclaimed in a panic as she tried to back away from the vengeful dullahan, flailing her hands apologetically in the hopes that it would save her. "I wasn't trying to poison anyone! I just needed someone to try out my new dish!"

"Then ye have sealed yer fate." The young reaper replied in a grim tone.

"Knock it off, will you?!" Miia then turned to her other housemates for assistance. "Will one of you help me out already?!"

"Pass, you dug your own grave, so leave me out of this." The arachne replied uncaringly.

"You damn traitor!"

Centorea let out a sigh, getting tired of the two of them messing around. "Lala, dost thou think thou art over-reacting? Our caretaker is on the mend as we speak."

"That may be so, but she has yet tae repent fer her sins." The dullahan replied as she continued to close in on her serpentine housemate.

"I'm sorry, alright?!" Miia yelled as she practically begged for her life. "Just don't do what I think you're about to do!"

Just as Lala was about to carry out her sentence on the red head, Yuuto's eyes shot open and he shot up straight in his seat. "AAAAAHHHHH!" He screamed with his lips bright red and his eyes watering, grabbing the attention of all the girls in the dining room. "HOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOT!" He then grabbed the now empty glass and shout out of his chair towards the sink in the kitchen as fast as he could.

"Yuuto, art thou alright?!" Centorea shouted with worry in her voice.

He didn't answer as he filled the glass with water to the top before downing it in one go, thankful for the relief it was providing him. He then let out a gasp as he tried to catch his breath, trying to calm himself down before facing the girls once more. "It's alright, I'll be fine now. That dish was just a little too spicy for my taste." He said to them in a reassuring tone.

Before he could continue, Lala rushed around the counter and into the kitchen as quickly as her feet could take her. "Yuuto!" She yelled in relief as she tackled him to the ground in an affectionate hug. The human landed hard on his back as her arms gripped around his chest tightly, her head resting on its side near his as she cried with joy. "Thank the gods, ye are alive! I thought I had lost ye!" She sobbed as she refused to let him go.

Yuuto just gave her a warm smile and wrapped his arm around her head, pulling it in close until their cheeks were pressed against each other. "Hey, it's okay." He said in a calming tone as he rubbed her back reassuringly. "I'll be alright."

After calming his girlfriend down, the pair stood up and made their way to the table just as everyone else was making their way into the dining room. The MON operative explained what had happened to the other girls and told them that he would sort out breakfast. Miia offered to help, though she received a death glare from her chuunibyou housemate for her troubles. Yuuto said it was okay to do so, but he told her sternly that she wasn't allowed in the kitchen without supervision for the remainder of his stay at the Kurusu household. She pouted in response, but he put his foot down on the matter. He wasn't about to allow anyone else to get food poisoning while he was here.

* * *

The day went on as usual at the Kurusu residence, with the girls going about their usual routine and Yuuto preoccupying himself with a bit of housework, though he was occasionally interrupted by Papi and the two slime girls to play video games with them for a bit, or by Lala so they could cuddle and kiss while no one was watching, not that the blonde would ever mind such interruptions to begin with. It was eventually mid-afternoon and Yuuto was just about finished with washing the dishes from lunch with the help of Vee and Suu. The two slime girls went off to play as he made his way to the porch to see if anything needed doing outside. As he made his way to the glass door, he saw that Centorea was already outside swinging her replica sword around, honing her skills with the blade with practiced precision and concentration. He smirked to himself as he opened the door and stepped outside into the warm summer air. He shut the door behind him, causing the centaur's ears to twitch and turn her attention towards the human, momentarily distracted from her practice.

"Yuuto, dost thou require any assistance?" Centorea asked as she was about to sheathe her blade.

"No, it's alright. You carry on." He replied, motioning her to continue. "Just wanted to check if anything needed doing out here is all."

"I see." She responded as she continued to practice. "Fortunately for thee, Milord already tended to the weeding the day before his accident, so the outside areas of the premises shouldn't be a concern for the time being."

Yuuto let out a sigh of relief, thankful that he could take a break from housework. "Lucky me then." He said as he took a seat on the porch. "Do you mind if I watch you practice for a bit? If it's not bothering you, that is."

Centorea's cheeks went red, not used to anyone being interested in watching her practice her swordsmanship. "Of course, though I doubt it'll be all that interesting to thee. I'd wager thou would practice with a blade in a similar fashion."

"Well, katanas tend to be used differently compared to a European short sword, so I want to see how different the fighting styles actually are."

"Thou doth speak truth." She replied as she continued to swing her blade, letting out occasional grunts as she did so. "My knowledge of eastern swordsmanship is still relatively new, especially amongst human fighting styles."

Yuuto smirked at her at that comment as he stood to his feet once more. "You know, I could show you, if you're up for a sparring match that is."

The centaur froze in place at the mentioning of a sparring match as her cheeks went red again before turning her attention to the human. "What?!" She exclaimed in an embarrassed tone. "No, I couldn't possibly ask thee to go out of thy way for my sake! I would be a waste of thy time, seeing that thou hast already bested myself and my mother in combat!" She explained as she became more flustered.

The human sighed to himself before giving her a reassuring smile. "Centorea, if you're still embarrassed about our previous fight during the full moon, don't be. I know you might not remember much, but it isn't fair to compare yourself to what you're like in a moon frenzy. I'm sure that you're an excellent swordsman, and I'm sure your mom would agree." He then walked towards her until he was right in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, how do you expect to improve if you don't challenge yourself regularly?"

Centorea stared at him for a moment as she took in what he said. She knew that what he said was true, but she still couldn't help but doubt her skills. She trained tirelessly with her sword, but even then she couldn't shake the fact that she had lost not only to a human in combat, but to her blind rage. She wanted to find an excuse to avoid sparring with him, to avoid the shame of losing again, but the reassuring look Yuuto was giving her had slowly started to push doubt from her mind. It was obvious that he was quite the skilled swordsman himself, and she would only have to gain from his assistance. After a while, she found the courage to speak once more.

*Sigh* "Thou art right." She said as she was now smiling back at the human. "It would be an honour to face off against thee once more in a friendly manner. Mayhap the lack of a training partner thus far has halted my progress."

"Awesome." Yuuto replied as he took a step away from her. "Just wait there for a sec while I go get Black Lotus."

"That will nay be a bother me Love." The pair glanced towards the porch to see Lala standing there with his katana held in both hands. She then smiled at her boyfriend as she moved to his side and presented his weapon.

Yuuto smirked at the dullahan before taking his blade from her. "Thanks Babe." He replied before planting a chaste kiss on her lips. "You might want to stand back a bit, this might get dangerous." He added as he tied the sheath to his belt.

"As ye wish but do be careful. I do nay wish tae see ye harmed." She responded with a hint of worry in her voice.

The MON operative nodded back at her confidently as he and Centorea positioned themselves for the upcoming sparring match. The young reaper made her way back to the porch and sat herself on the edge of it, watching intently to see what was about to transpire.

Yuuto smirked at the centaur as he unsheathed his katana and twirled it in his hand before holding it low to his side. "Now, tell me Centorea. How long have you been training with that thing?" He asked as he glanced at her short sword.

Centorea returned a confident smile as she unsheathed her weapon and held it in front of her in both hands. "Since I was a young foal. Centaurs are trained from a young age, such is the way of my people."

"Well, this should be an interesting bout then."

With that, the human rushed towards his opponent with Black Lotus still held low to his side. Centorea held her ground, bracing herself for the oncoming attack. As Yuuto closed the distance, he switched to a reverse grip on his katana and swung a wide arc from his right towards the centaur. She easily parried the strike and tried to respond with a strike of her own, but the MON agent quickly switched back to a normal grip on his blade and parried her downwards swing. The pair continued to dance around each other as their swords continually clashed against one another. Lala watched in amazement at how evenly matched they were, both struggling to gain the upper hand. Centorea was able to keep calm as she continued to deflect Yuuto's attacks, though she was unable to find an opening to counter attack. Just as it looked to be a stalemate, a smirk appeared on the human's lips as he was about to put his plan into action.

"You know, Kimihito's cooking is okay, but is a bit bland if I have to be honest." He said with an evil glint in his eye.

The equestrian knight's eyes shot wide open as a look of anger crossed her face. "Balderdash! Thou hast no right to insult Milord's culinary skills!" She shouted with righteous fury as she reckless swung her blade down at him.

Yuuto easily dodged to the side of the strike before striking her hands with the butt of his pommel, causing the girl to lose her grip on her blade. The sword clattered to the ground as Centorea looked on in horror at her blunder, and the human quickly pointed the tip of his blade towards her, gaining her undivided attention.

"You really need to reign in your temper. It makes you reckless and predictable." He explained as he lowered his katana and picked up her short sword before handing it back to her. "Though your mother is no different in that regard from what I can tell."

The young knight scowled at him for a moment before taking a deep breath to calm herself. She retrieved her weapon from the human and got into a fighting stance, ready for their next bout. Yuuto did the same and smirked back at her. Annoyed, Centorea took the initiative and rushed him, starting with a diagonal upwards strike which the MON agent parried with ease. Yuuto kept on the defensive as the centaur continued to rain down attack after attack against him.

"Kimihito would definitely make a good housewife someday." He said teasingly with a smirk on his lips.

"Silence! My master is a fine young man, and thou shalt cease thy mockery of him!" She yelled as her swings started to become erratic.

Yuuto dodged to the side of one of her downwards strikes and quickly grabbed hold of her wrist. He twisted it sharply, causing the centauride to lose her grip on her sword once more. Centorea lowered her head in frustration at having been disarmed so easily by the human once again, her temper now reaching its limit.

She looked back up at him as her face was now contorted into a grimace. "Why dost thou continue to mock my master when we should be training?! It serves no purpose!"

"But it does." The human replied sternly as he picked up her sword and held it out to her. "The fact that you get set off so easily by mere words is holding you back. You'll never improve if you can't get past this."

The centaur snatched her blade from his hand as she continued her tirade. "I can fight just fine without thee continually insulting Milord!"

"Okay then." He simply replied as he quirked an eyebrow at her. He then directed his attention towards the dullahan still sitting on the porch. "Hey Lala. Is your scythe just for show, or do you actually know how to wield that thing properly?"

The young reaper stared wide-eyed at her boyfriend for a moment, not expecting him to ask her to participate. She then broke eye contact with him as her cheeks went read, twiddling with her fingers in embarrassment. "As a spectre o' Death, tis tae be expected, though I must save me efforts fer when I send a vengeful spirit back tae its rightful place…"

Ever since the day he first met Kimihito, Yuuto quickly learned that chuunibyous were very resistant when it came doing something they didn't like or were uncomfortable with, usual coming up with some ridiculous fantasy-fuelled excuse to get out of doing it. But he also learned of a way of getting them to do almost anything, and it involved calling them out on not sticking to their persona, which would eventually force them to prove themselves worthy of their own delusions. He remembered one time in middle school where he managed to convince Kimihito to walk into a lingerie shop by himself to help him get over his fears of talking to girls at the time, but the results were quite embarrassing for the chuunibyou and hilarious for the blonde. He was certain that this same tactic would help convince Lala to have a go at sparring too.

Yuuto smirked at her as a devious look crossed his face, confident that his plan would be successful. "And here I thought reapers had nothing to fear from mere mortals, but I guess I was wrong about that." He teased as he shrugged his shoulders for emphasis.

Lala shot up from her seat and looked him straight in the eyes with newfound confidence as she placed a hand over her face. "Do nay lack conviction in me skills Yuuto. I feel I must prove tae ye that I am worthy o' being a reaper o' Death, and I shall have ye begging fer forgiveness after I am done."

"Then by all means, prove me wrong."

The dullahan gave him a confident smirk as she removed her hand from her face, before making her way to face off against her equestrian housemate. She stopped several feet in front of Centorea before raising her hands palms-up, closing her eyes as she began to chant. "O Crescent Shadow, I call upon ye tae defeat those that would stand against this Spectre o' Death. Show them what it means tae stand against those who are one with the darkness." Upon finishing her chant, she materialised her scythe into her hands and twirled it around for a moment, before grasping it in both hands again, pointing the blade towards her adversary with a look of determination on her face.

Centorea was unnerved at first, but it soon faded as a smirk appeared on her face. She then readied her blade as she stared down the dullahan. "I fine performance Lala, but I am not about to fall for thy bluff." With that, the centaur charged forwards and raised her blade high. "I shall make this quick." She rushed forwards, confident in her victory, but she would soon come to regret underestimating her opponent.

As the young knight swung her sword down towards the dullahan, Lala effortlessly spun to the side to avoid the strike while simultaneously swinging her scythe in a wide arc back at the centaur. Centorea was caught off guard and barely had time to parry the counter attack. As the strike was deflected, Lala used the momentum of her blade to swing into another wide-arced attack, this time from above. The centaur was forced onto the defensive as the young reaper continued to deliver wide swung attacks from every direction, each carried by the momentum of the previous attack. It was almost like fighting a cyclone of blades.

Yuuto watched in astonishment, unable to believe what his girlfriend was pulling off. Not only was she holding her own against a trained centaur warrior but was also pushing her back with great ease. _"Holy crap, I had no idea she was capable of that, but how the hell has her head not fallen off yet?"_ He thought to himself as he continued to stare wide-eyed at the spectacle in front of him.

Eventually though, Centorea was able to hop back from the reaper's flurry of attacks to gain some much-needed distance and readied her blade once more. She couldn't believe what had just happened, she never thought that Lala was anything more than a young woman caught up in her own fantasies, but after what she just witnessed, there seemed to be some merit to her words.

Lala held her scythe low and to her side in one hand as she placed her free hand over her face, locking eyes with her housemate with a deadpan expression. "This is what it means tae face a servant o' Death, Mortal. I will nay blame ye if ye wish tae withdraw."

The young knight's face contorted into a grimace, her temper flaring up again at the dullahan's words. "I will not be so easily swayed by mere words! Prepare thyself, for I shall show thee the wrath of a knight of the centaur race!" She yelled with pride as she charged forward, swinging her blade from the side.

Lala responded by swinging her scythe up towards Centorea's blade with great force, knocking the sword out of the centaur's hand. As it spun in the air, the young reaper spun around on her heel and brought the tip of her blade mere inches from her housemate's neck. The sword clattered to the ground, then all was silent. Centorea just gasped in horror at the humiliation she just suffered.

"Do ye yield?" The dullahan asked with a smug look on her face.

The young knight was slow to respond, but she eventually dipped her head in shame as her ears drooped down as well. "I yield…" She replied in a defeated tone.

With that the reaper dematerialised her scythe and went to pick up Centorea's sword. She held it in the palms of her hands and presented the weapon to her housemate. Centorea looked up to see a warm smile of the girl's face, something that she rarely saw from her.

"Do nay fret Centorea. Ye are a fine warrior, worthy o' yer kinsmen's reputation. Though ye should nay concern yerself with petty insults from other mortals, it is unbecoming o' ye tae succumb tae yer inner demons."

"She's right you know." Yuuto added as he stood up and made his way to them. "You fight just as well as Maredrianna does, but you both are so quick to anger. If you keep it under control though, I'm sure you'll improve in no time."

She stared blankly at both the dullahan and the human as she took in their words, and she knew they were right. She then took her sword from Lala and re-sheathed it before looking back at Yuuto with a look of doubt. "That may be so, but I cannot simply cast aside my feelings so easily…"

"I'm not asking you to cast them aside," he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You just need to focus more on the fight at hand and keep your head in the game. I'd be more than willing to spar with you as much as you want while I'm staying here."

"As will I if needs must." Lala added as she placed a hand over her face once more for dramatic effect.

Centorea smiled back at them, genuinely happy that they had gone to such lengths to help her. "I thank thee for thy assistance in this matter, both of you. It will help me greatly."

"Yer gratitude is well received." The young reaper replied in her typical chuunibyou manner.

"Yeah, it's no problem Centorea."

"Cerea." The centaur interjected.

Yuuto gave her a quizzical look. "Pardon?"

"It is the name I allow close friends and loved ones to call me by, and I truly appreciate what thou hast done for me in recent weeks. It would be remiss of me to not acknowledge thy friendship so far."

The MON agent couldn't help but smile back at her. "I'm honoured Cerea." He then redirected his attention back to his girlfriend as a smirk appeared on his lips. "And I wasn't expecting that from you. Where the hell did you learn to fight like that?" He asked with genuine amazement.

Lala smirked back at him before she pressed herself against his chest and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "It is an age-old secret which only those who are one with the darkness are prithee tae." She answered as she caressed his cheek lovingly. "Now, if ye would excuse me, I must return tae me sanctum and delve intae me tomes."

Just as she was about to leave, Yuuto grabbed her by the hand to prevent her escape. She looked back in mild surprised as she saw him giving her a cheeky grin. "Cerea got her turn to dance with you. Where's mine?"

The dullahan's cheeks went bright red as she averted her gaze from his. "A-A-As skilled as I may be, I fear I may be lacking compared tae an individual such as yerself." She stuttered in embarrassment.

"Oh, I see how it is." He teased as he narrowed his eyes at her. "Death would be most displeased to hear one of its spectres turn down a challenge from a mere mortal." He continued, hoping to goad her into a sparring match with him.

Lala pulled away from his grasp and spun to face him as she brought Crescent Shadow into existence once more. "It seems I shall need tae teach ye tae respect me skills the hard way. Do nay hope fer me tae go easy on ye me Love." She replied challengingly.

Yuuto smirked at her before drawing Black Lotus from its sheath once more, holding it in both hands in front of him as he locked eyes with the young reaper. "Bring it." He answered confidently.

Centorea stepped to the side and sat herself on the porch to witness the bout between the two lovers. "I suppose this is what thou would call a 'lover's quarrel' then. I just hope they do not damage anything in the process." She muttered to herself before letting out and audible sigh.

She sat there silently, watching them dance around each other as they clashed blade. Though as meddlesome as they were, the young knight was happy to call them friends.


	35. Playing Host (Part 3)

It had been a few days since Yuuto came to the Kurusu residence to act as temporary host for the liminals staying there. In that short time though, he found himself running ragged as he attended to the needs of the girls and the house in general. Most of the day he found himself doing housework, from cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry, and other equally menial tasks that needed seeing to. His only real reprieves from the monotony were when either Papi, Suu, and Vee would ask him to play video games with them, or when he could find the time, spend some quality time with his precious girlfriend.

Ever since the MON operative came to stay, Lala wanted nothing more than to spend every waking moment with him, and when she could get away with it, cuddle up to him at night in order to spend more time with him. The dullahan soon realised that with everything that had to be done around the house she couldn't realistically be with him all the time, and she had to accept the fact that they needed time to themselves too. Though despite that, the pair were happy with how things were for the time being.

Over the last few days Yuuto had taken the girls to visit Kimihito at the hospital and it was Papi's and Suu's turn to go visit their host, though just after breakfast as Yuuto sent the harpy and blue slime off to get ready for their outing, Mero had made a request of him as they were leaving the dining room.

"Sir Yuuto, would it be a bother to make a request of you?" The pink-haired mermaid asked in an overly polite tone.

"Not at all, though I wish you'd stop calling me 'Sir' already." The human replied, trying to hide his annoyance over the unnecessary title.

The princess' cheeks went red at his answer. "Oh, I do apologise, but would it be alright if we speak in private in my chambers for a moment? I assure you it won't take long." She said with an apologetic smile.

"Um, sure thing." Yuuto answered as he went behind her and grabbed the handles of her wheelchair before pushing her towards her room.

"Thank you kindly Sir Yuuto." She replied with a joyous smile as she clasped her webbed hands together.

The MON operative just sighed to himself as he continued to push her towards their destination. It didn't look like Mero would drop the title she gave him any time soon. As Yuuto opened the door to her room and wheeled the princess inside, he was greeted by the sight of a well-sized waterproof room with a large pool taking up two-thirds of the space, with a small ramp going into the pool that granted the mermaid easy wheelchair access to get in and out. There was also a wardrobe near where the ramp was so Mero could get changed before entering the pool. As he shut the door behind him, the mermaid started to wheel herself towards where the ramp and the wardrobe were.

"Thank you for your assistance, but I can manage myself from here. Please, take a seat by the pool." Mero said to the human as she reached the wardrobe and started to take her dress off.

Yuuto's cheeks went bright red as he noticed her starting to get undressed. "Mero, maybe I should wait outside while you're getting changed."

"Oh, it's quite alright." She replied as she hung up her gothic dress, revealing a black and white frilly two-piece swimsuit underneath to cover her modesty. "I have no intention on striping completely, though if my Beloved was here…" She trailed off as her own cheeks went bright red.

"Yeah, I think I get the idea…" He interjected as he sat himself down cross-legged by the edge of the pool. "Somehow I get the feeling that you want some sort of advice from me."

"Oh, indeed I do." Mero rolled her wheelchair as far down the ramp as it could until it was halfway submerged into the water. She then pushed herself out of the chair and started lazily swimming towards the human. "I'd thought that seeing you've known Beloved for some time that you'd have some idea on how I could possibly capture his affections."

"Well, I'm not sure about that." The blonde replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Up until my first time meeting you girls, I hadn't seen or spoken to him for about five years. So, to be honest, your guess is as good as mine."

"Oh, I see…" The princess replied with a hint of disappointment as she tentatively placed her hands on the edge of the pool next to him. "Well, would you think he'd be interested in having a mistress at least?" She asked him as her cheeks went red.

Yuuto quirked an eyebrow at her question. "Dare I ask why?"

Mero propped herself out of the pool and took a seat next to him. "Well, it would be like what happens in The Little Mermaid!" She exclaimed as she pressed her hands to her cheeks. "To fall in love with someone, only to have them love another! To spend your days longing for an unrequited love that will never be returned! It would be so tragic!" She continued with a dreamy look on her face.

To say that the MON agent was slightly weirded out by the girl's tragedy fetish would've been an understatement, he just hoped that not all merfolk were like this. "Mero, I hate to break it to you, but that's not how a mistress works." He explained while trying to keep a straight face. "What you're looking for is someone else to be his mistress, and honestly I think Kimihito is more of a 'One girl' kind of guy."

The mermaid was brought back from her tragic fantasy at his words as a look of uncertainty crossed her face. She removed her hands from her reddened cheeks and locked eyes with the human. "Well, if that's the case, then how should I proceed?"

Yuuto gave her a warm smile in return as he placed a hand on her shoulder, surprised for a moment by the layer of mucus that covered her skin. "I'll tell you the same thing I told Miia the other day when she asked me for advice. Just keep being yourself and give him time to think this whole situation over. Kimihito is under a lot of pressure with Ms Smith's proposal of marrying one of you girls, so try and go easy on the guy, and maybe tone down your tragedy fetish a bit while you're at it, okay?"

They weren't the words that she wanted to here, but Mero knew he had a point. It was her Beloved's decision at the end of the day who he was going to marry, and there wasn't much she could do about it except be honest with her feelings for him and give him time to process it. Eventually, the mermaid smiled back at the blonde and clasped his hand in between her own.

"Thank you Sir Yuuto, your consul has been most helpful. Surely there must be some way I can repay you for your help." She said as she returned to her cheery demeanour.

"Well, I'd appreciate it if you stopped calling me 'Sir'." He replied as he furrowed his eyebrows at the princess. "It feels too weird and formal being called that, plus, I've already got a collection of weird nicknames as it is…"

"Oh, I couldn't possibly do that Sir Yuuto." She replied with a joyous smile, her webbed hands still clutching at his. "How else am I supposed to acknowledge your chivalrous and hardworking nature?"

" _I swear she's just doing this on purpose now_ …" Yuuto thought to himself with an annoyed look on his face.

Just then, the door to the room opened and Vee, who was currently in her child-like form, poked her head around the corner with a look of worry on her gelatinous face. "Yuuto! We've got a situation!" She exclaimed in a panicked tone.

The pair looked back at the orange slime with bewildered looks on their faces. "Don't tell me, Papi knocked over something again, didn't she?" The human asked as he pulled his hand free from the mermaid's grasp.

"No, worse! Papi flew off with Suu to find Kimihito! They're out there by themselves!" She yelled with worry, concerned about the safety of her friends.

"…Crap…"

* * *

Not too far away flying over the suburbs, Papi was flying around aimlessly carrying the child-like Suu in her talons. They hadn't seen their host in days and the harpy was desperate to apologise to him in person. The only problem was that she and Suu didn't know where the hospital was, so the pair flew up as high as they could to see if they could find it that way.

Papi looked around in a panic, unsure of where they were. "C'mon, the hostel has to be here somewhere."

"Hospital." Suu corrected her friend.

"Right, that! But where is it?! Papi wants to see Boss really bad!" The harpy shouted as she started to get flustered.

"Maybe we should go back and get Yuuto to take us there." The slime girl suggested as she pointed towards where their home was.

Papi's eyes had shot wide open at the realised they weren't with a host. "Oh no! Yuugo's gonna get mad at us for leaving without him! Papi doesn't want to get distorted!"

"Deported. Yuuto might get mad, but I don't think he'll get us deported. He's nice like Master is." Suu explained, trying her best to calm her friend down. "Let's just head back for now."

"Alright, but where is home?"

"That way." She answered as she pointed one of her tendrils behind her.

"Thanks, Suu!" Papi shouted excitedly as she started flying her way back to their host's home. "Let's get back before-!"

The blue haired harpy cut herself off as she noticed a shadow pass over them briefly. She jerked her head up to see if anyone was there, but all she could see was the sun hanging in the clear blue sky. She heard a rush of wind behind her and Papi spun herself around to see nothing but clear blue sky.

"Hello?! Is anyone there?!" The harpy exclaimed, starting to get panicky again.

Suu looked behind them, and a look of shock crossed her face as she started to panic too. "Papi! Behind us!" She shouted in warning, but it came too little too late.

Before Papi could turn around, a slender figure dived towards them and snatched the pair out of the sky, causing them to yelp in surprise. Both Papi and Suu had large yellow talons grasping at the back of their shirt and raincoat respectively, preventing their escape. They looked up to see a larger harpy with short white hair and large white wings with black primary feathers looking down at them with a smirk on her face.

"Busted." Kestria said to them in a triumphant tone.

"Kress!" Papi exclaimed excitedly with a wide joyous smile on her face.

"It's Kes, Papi." Suu corrected her.

"That's what Papi said, wasn't it?" The baseline harpy asked with a look of confusion on her face.

Kestria just merely let out an exasperated sigh before continuing to speak. "Your terrible memory aside, what are you two doing out here by yourselves? Shouldn't you girls be with Hotshot right now?" She questioned the troublesome duo with an annoyed look on her face.

"Hotpot? But Boss said we shouldn't stand too close to hotpots though, especially when they're boiling." Papi answered, unable to understand what the raptor harpy was on about.

"I think she's talking about Yuuto." The blue slime explained.

"Huh? That's a weird name to call someone."

Kestria was half tempted to drop the blue harpy there and then, though she realised that Yuuto would get upset with her if she did. "Yeah, let's finish this conversation on the ground before I do something I might regret." She said before she took a deep breath and started descending towards the ground with the two girls in her grasp. "Now, where did I leave Isao?" She asked herself as she scanned the nearby area for the man in question.

"Hey! Kes! Over here!"

The trio heard a man shouting as they got closer to the ground, looking towards one of the footpaths near the main road to find a young man with black buzz-cut hair waving frantically at them with both hands. Kestria smiled to herself as her cheeks went red, happy to see him. She started to fly towards him as the man began to calm down.

Isao quirked an eyebrow at the group as he noticed to two liminal girls Kestria was carrying. "Who are they?"

Just as they were a few feet off the ground, the raptor harpy promptly dropped them without a care before landing herself just a few feet away from the human. "Acquaintances." She said with a smirk on her face. "The harpy, in particular, is a known runaway."

"Ow." Papi said as she sat herself up and rubbed the back of her head while Suu was reforming herself from the splat she had become. She then looked up at the human standing next to Kestria, her eyes now gleaming with curiosity as she jumped to her talons excitedly and made her way to him. "Hi, Mister! I'm Papi, Papi the harpy!" She exclaimed as she waved a wing at him. "Who're you?"

Isao looked down at her and gave her a warm smile. "Hey Papi, I'm Isao. It's nice to meet you." He said as he extended a hand to her.

"Hi, Isao!" She replied excitedly as she grasped his hand with both wings and shook it vigorously. "So, how do you know Kress?" She asked after letting go of him.

"Oh, I'm a friend of hers that works at the nearby Oka-mart." He answered while rubbing the back of his head.

Kestria smirked to herself before she stood right next to him and pressed herself against his chest. "I don't know, I think we've gone past just being friends, don't you think?" She said to him teasingly as she gave him a seductive wink.

The store clerk's face went bright red as he turned his gaze away from hers. "W-Well, I guess we've gotten a bit closer recently." He stuttered in an embarrassed tone.

"C'mon Isao, I'm practically your girlfriend at this point." She replied in a teasing tone before pecking him on the cheek, which sent the man reeling.

"K-K-Kes, should we really be doing this in public? I-I don't want you to get deported because of me…" Isao asked with worry in his voice.

The raptor harpy gave him a warm smile before wrapping her wings comfortingly around him to help put him at ease. "Don't worry, I won't let that happen. I don't plan on letting you go that easily." She replied as she nuzzled her cheek against his.

He couldn't help but smile back at Kestria and wrapped his arms around her in a loving hug.

While the couple was doing this, Suu got up on her feet and moved next to her avian friend. "Papi, we should go find Yuuto before we get into more trouble."

Papi's eyes shot wide open, realising the predicament they were in. "Oh no! Yuugo's gonna be super mad with us if we don't head back! C'mon, let's go!"

Before the pair could run off, Kestria forcibly placed her wings on top of their heads and stopped them in place. "Hold it." She said in a stern tone. "You two aren't going anywhere until you tell me why you're out here by yourselves, to begin with."

"But Kress!" Papi exclaimed as she looked back at her with teary eyes. "We really need to see Boss, but we need Yuugo to take us to the hostel!"

"Hospital." Suu corrected her.

"Yeah, that." She replied as tears started rolling down her cheeks. "Boss got hurt really bad because of me, and Papi really needs to go see him and say how sorry she is that it happened…" She trailed off as she started to sob to herself.

"Papi…" The blue slime said with worry.

Kestria felt a pang of guilt at her words. She felt the same way after what happened with her youngest sister, Avia. She wanted to apologise to her for putting her in danger, but her tribe denied her that chance and exiled her for her reckless actions. Now she was stopping Papi from going to see her host to apologise to him, and she felt empathetic towards the small harpy's plight. The raptor harpy soon lifted her wings from their heads and knelt down next to the blue haired girl, before wrapping her wings around her in a comforting hug and rested her chin on her shoulder. Papi stopped her sobbing momentarily as a look of confusion crossed her face.

"Don't worry Papi, no one's trying to stop you from seeing him." She started as she gently rubbed her back. "It was just silly of you to fly off by yourself when you didn't know where you were going. We'll go find Hotshot and take you to the hospital after, okay?"

Papi started to tear up again as she pressed her face into the crook of Kestria's neck and wrapped her wings around the larger harpy tightly. "Thank you, Kress." She replied as she started sobbing out loud once more.

A warm smile crept onto the raptor harpy's face as she tightened her grip on Papi. "It's Kes, you dummy." She said as tears started to trickle down her own cheeks.

The pair stayed like this for some time while Suu and Isao watched on quietly, giving them time to get their emotions in order. Once the two harpies calmed themselves down enough, Kestria broke the hug and stood up straight, giving the girl a confident smile as she did so. "Now, let's see if we can find where Hotshot is hiding."

Papi wiped the tears from her cheeks with one of her wings before looking back at the larger harpy with a smile on her face. "Okay, but where would he be?"

"PAPI! SUU! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

The group heard the unmistakable voice of Yuuto from behind Kestria and Isao, and they looked behind them to see the blonde agent running around the corner of the street carrying Vee on his back, both of whom were frantically looking for the whereabouts of the harpy and blue slime.

The orange slime was able to spot the group and pointed the human in the right direction. "Yuuto, they're over there!" She said to him in a relieved tone.

Yuuto looked over to where the slime girl was pointing, and the worried expression on his face was soon replaced with one of relief. He started to run towards the group as fast as his legs could take him, happy to see that Papi and Suu were alright.

"Speak of the devil, we were just talking about you." Kestria said to him teasingly as she gave her squad captain a cheeky wink.

"Hey Kes, hey Ishida." The blonde replied as he came to a halt in front of them, at which point Vee got off his back and made her way to Papi and Suu. "Thanks for finding them, I would've been out here all day otherwise." He added as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, Kes did all the work. I was just along for the ride." Isao responded as he looked over to his harpy companion with a smile on his face.

"You're such a flatterer," Kestria said to the store clerk in a sultry tone as she gave him a wink, causing him to blush profusely before she turned her attention back to Yuuto. "and don't worry Hotshot, you can pay me back later." She said teasingly with a massive grin on her face.

While they were talking, Vee ran up to the blue-feathered harpy and blue slime and wrapped them into a loving hug. "Papi, Suu! You're okay! I was so worried about you!" She exclaimed in relief as she tightened her grip around them.

Papi giggled to herself as she wrapped her wings around the orange slime. "Hey Vee, it's no pro."

"No pro." Suu added with a smile on her face as she wrapped her arms and tendrils around both Papi and Vee.

The trio stayed like this until Papi and Suu noticed Yuuto standing right behind Vee with an annoyed look on his face. The harpy and blue slime broke from the hug and were preparing themselves for the lecture they were about to receive, both gulping in worry.

"Uh oh…" Papi muttered to herself.

"Yeah, uh oh," Yuuto replied as he quirked an eyebrow at her. "why did you two run off like that?"

The harpy averted her gaze from his as she was overwhelmed with guilt. "Sorry Yuugo, but Papi really wanted to see Boss and apologise to him."

The blonde smirked back at her before crouching down to be at eye level with the girl. "Did you even know where you were going?"

She looked back at him as her cheeks went red with embarrassment. "No, Papi didn't really think it through…"

Yuuto suppressed a chuckle as he began to pat her head. "You're lucky that you're so endearing." He then got back up and motioned her to follow him. "C'mon, we don't want to keep Kimihito waiting." He added as he gave her a warm smile.

The harpy looked back up at him in surprise. "Really? You're not angry at me?" She asked with a hint of confusion.

"Really, just stick with me this time so you don't get lost. Okay?"

Papi couldn't help but give him her biggest and brightest smile before she ran over to him and wrapped herself around his waist in a big hug. "Thanks, Yuugo! Papi promises to behave from now on!" She exclaimed as she nuzzled her cheek against him.

"Good to hear." He replied while patting her head. "Now come on, let's go." He continued as he started escorting her to their destination. "Vee, Suu, that goes for you too."

"Okay!" The slime girls exclaimed joyously in unison as they started to follow him.

"Hey Hotshot," Kestria spoke up to get the blonde's attention. "Mind if we tag along for a bit?"

"Sure, I'll need all the help I can get." He replied as he smirked at her.

"Oh, now you ask for help." She said in a teasing tone before bumping shoulders with him.

"Don't worry, you can count on us." Isao added as he followed them from behind.

With that, the group was finally making their way to visit Kimihito. Hopefully, they'd be able to make it there before visiting hours were over for the day.

* * *

Once they arrived, they went straight to Kimihito's room, and both Papi and Suu wasted no time in latching themselves to their host without hurting him too much. The harpy couldn't stop herself from sobbing as she clung to him tightly, apologising as best she could in her current state of mind. Kimihito did what he usually did and comforted the girls as best he could, albeit with only one free arm. He told both Papi and Suu that he'd be fine, and he'd be back home as soon as he could. Yuuto, Vee, Kestria and Isao just stood to the side and watch the trio in silence as they had their moment together. After talking for a while, the group finally had to say their goodbyes and started making their way home, with both the baseline harpy and blue slime happy to see their host on the mend. As they were making their way back, the group found themselves walking by a small playground, and the little ones couldn't help but want and go play on it for a bit.

"Hey, Yuugo! Can we play here before we go home?!" Papi asked excitedly.

"Yeah, can we Yuuto?!" Vee joined in with equal enthusiasm.

"Pretty please?" Suu pleaded.

And there it was, the puppy dog eyes he couldn't find the will to say no to. It just wasn't fair all three of them were giving him that look.

*Sigh* "Sure, we've got time before I need to get lunch ready." Yuuto replied with a warm smile.

"Yay!" The trio exclaimed before rushing towards the playset they'd have for themselves for the time being.

"Geez Hotshot, you're way too easy to persuade sometimes." Kestria teased with a smirk on her face.

The blonde smirked back at her. "You try saying no to that."

"Whatever, I need to take a quick break anyway. Harpies weren't made for walking long distances anyway." She replied as she started making her way towards one of the nearby benches.

"You've heard of land harpies, right?" He retorted with a cheesy grin.

"Well, I'm with Kes on this one. I need a quick break myself." Isao said as he made his way to the bench Kestria just sat on.

The raptor couldn't help but smirk at her boyfriend. "You just want an excuse to cuddle, don't you?" She teased in a sultry tone.

The store clerk's face went bright red at the insinuation. "W-Well, can you blame a guy?" He stuttered, just as he reached the bench.

"So, what are you waiting for?" She asked as she gave him a wink.

Isao hesitated for a moment, but he soon sat next to the harpy, and Kestria wasted no time in wrapping her wings around him so they could snuggle up together. The human gladly reciprocated the hug as he wrapped his arms around her waist, soon easing himself into the cuddling session they were about to have.

"Yeah, you two just make out or whatever. I'll just keep an eye on the kids on my own." Yuuto said out loud in a sarcastic tone.

"You're just jealous cause Grim isn't here." The raptor harpy retorted in a teasing tone.

The blonde's face went red at her statement, unable to retort to her comment. "Maybe…"

Kestria merely smirked back at him before going back to cuddling with her boyfriend. Yuuto couldn't help but smile at the sight of the pair on the bench. He was glad that she found someone. He looked back towards the playset to see how the girls were doing. Papi was happily flying around the equipment, while Suu clambered around the structure before sliding down the slide. Vee was busy bouncing around the playset in her blob form, still clinging on to her raincoat and boots. The human couldn't help but think about how much has changed in the last three or four years. Back then, the idea of other humanoid creatures existing was thought to be only the stuff of fiction. Now, they were intermingling into human society and it felt like they were always a part of it. Sure, there had been people who were against the idea of these 'monsters' becoming a part of their civilization, but despite that, not a lot had really changed because of it. Things right now were going smoothly for the most part, but he knew there was still a lot to achieve before full integration would be successful. Yuuto would soon be pulled back to reality as he heard the yell of a familiar young girl.

"Big Brother!"

He was shaken from his thoughts as he glanced to his side to see Yui with her long brown curls flowing behind her as she rushed towards the MON operative with a wide smile on her face. Behind her he saw Sulphira walking at a leisurely pace not far behind, giving the human a warm smile.

"Hey Kazama, it's been a while." The dragonewt said as her cheeks went bright red.

"Yeah, it has." He replied with a warm smile before crouching down to receive a big hug from Yui. "And I hope you've been behaving yourself, little missy." The blonde said playfully to the young girl now clinging to him.

"Yep, I've been really good!" She exclaimed as she pulled back from the hug, giving him her biggest grin. A sudden look of realisation crossed her face as she locked eyes with him once more. "Wait, is Vee here with you?!"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" He said as he hooked a thumb towards the playset. "You might make some new friends too while you're at it."

The little girl looked towards the playset to see Vee playing with another slime girl as well as a harpy. Yui's face was overcome with awe and excitement before rushing towards the trio to introduce herself. Yuuto stood up straight again as Sulphira stopped in front of him and smirked at him.

"Glad to see you aren't all work and no play." The dragonewt said in a teasing tone.

"Well, technically I am working," Yuuto replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm covering for those girls' host while he's recovering in hospital, so I've still got my hands full."

"Ah, that explains why you're hanging out at a playground of all places."

"Yeah. Speaking of," He started as he quirked an eyebrow at her. "don't you think Yui's a bit young to be your host?" He teased as a smirk appeared on his own face.

Sulphira merely smirked back at him as she pulled a couple of cards out of her handbag held them out for the human to see. The first was an IAP pass with her name and photo on it. Behind it was another card with her name and photo on it, only this one was headed with 'ICEP STAFF' at the top of the ID card.

Yuuto's eyes widened in realisation. "Wait, you mean-"

"Yeah, I got the job." She interjected, giving him a sincere smile.

The blonde couldn't help but give her a wide smile as she put the cards away. "Wow! Congratulations Sulphira! That's great news!" He exclaimed, genuinely happy for her.

The dragonewt's eye started welling up with joy at his reaction, and she soon wrapped her arms and wings around the human, pulling him into a hug as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without your help." She replied, appreciative of his efforts that allowed her to get this far.

Yuuto smirked to himself as he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back comfortingly. "What're you talking about? This was all you, you just needed someone to push you in the right direction is all."

"Maybe, but I wouldn't be here now if not for you, Kazama." She responded as she tightened her grip on him, letting a joyful tear trickle down her cheek.

The pair stayed like this for some time as Sulphira composed herself, not wanting to be an emotional wreck in front of the man that'd helped her get this far. Just being in contact with him helped her put her mind at ease. It helped her forget about the traumatic experience she went through, and it brought her confidence that she felt she couldn't muster herself right now. Eventually, they loosened the hug, but the dragonewt still had her hands grasping at his shoulders as she looked up at him with flushed cheeks and a loving smile on her face.

"So, when do you start?" The MON operative asked.

"The start of next week. Feeling slightly nervous about it if I have to be honest." She answered in an embarrassed tone.

Yuuto gave her a warm smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I'm sure you'll do just fine. We'll be seeing a lot more of each other anyway, so if you have any problems, just come and find me, and I'll help as best as I can."

"Of course, I suppose I'll have to call you Senpai now."

"Please don't." He replied unenthusiastically as he gave her a deadpan expression. "Just Yuuto is fine."

"Okay, Yuuto…" She said as her cheeks went a brighter shade of red. "Anyway, speaking of seeing more of each other…" She trailed as she placed a finger on his chest, drawing circles with it as she subtly wrapped her tail around his leg, though this didn't escape the human's attention. "I was thinking… when you're not too busy that is… maybe when you're next free…" She trailed off as her nerves got the better of her, but she took a deep breath and continued. "…maybe we could go out somewhere. Catch a movie, have dinner somewhere nice, you know… just the two of us…"

Yuuto knew exactly what she was trying to ask, and it pained him to have to turn her down after all she's been through, but he couldn't lead her on, he had to be honest with her. He sighed to himself as he gave her his answer. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm already seeing someone. I'm really sorry."

Sulphira's eyes went wide with embarrassment as her whole face went red. She quickly unlatched herself from the human and jumped back a step before she started waving her arms apologetically at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise!" She shouted as she became flustered over the situation, embarrassed by what she was doing to him up to this point. "Of course, you're seeing someone already! I'd be crazy to think otherwise! I didn't mean to insinuate that you were-!"

She was silenced as the blonde place a hand on top of her head and started rubbing it gently. "Relax, will you?" He said as he gave her a cheesy grin. "You didn't know that I wasn't single, so don't worry about it."

The dragonewt averted her gaze from his, though she was happy that he was being nice to her, despite what just happened. "Okay, but still…"

"C'mon, we're still friends, right?"

Sulphira looked back at him with widened eyes as she saw the human give her a warm smile. She couldn't help but give one back in return. "Of course, I rely on you way too much."

"Hey, Hotshot!" Kestria called out to her captain. "It's almost like you're trying to hit on every liminal woman you meet!" She teased as she gave the pair a suggestive wink.

Yuuto removed his hand from the dragonewt's head as he smirked back at the harpy. "Have you told Ishida that you're expecting an egg sometime soon?" He teased back as he gave her a cheeky grin.

Her eyes shot wide open as her cheeks went red, embarrassed that her captain divulged such private information in public. Isao's cheeks also went red upon hearing this. "Oh, you are?" The human asked his girlfriend in an embarrassed tone.

Kestria just glanced back at him nervously before she locked eyes with the blonde again and furrowed her eyebrows at him. A smirk appeared on her face as she stood up and spread her wings wide. "Isao, would you be a dear and wait here for a second? I have some business to take care of." She said with a predatory glint in her eyes before she launched herself into the air and started flying straight at her squad captain.

Yuuto's face took on a look of panic before he started sprinting away from the angered raptor harpy currently swooping towards his general direction. "Hey Sulphira, can we continue this conversation later?! I need to take cover quickly!"

"Oh no, you don't!"

"AAAAHHHH!"

Before he could even get close to the playset, Kestria latched her talons onto the back of his shirt and pulled him up into the air with her with great ease. The blonde instinctively grabbed hold of one of her talons and he held onto it for dear life.

"Kes! Let me down already, will you?!" He yelled in a panicked tone.

"I dunno, that doesn't sound like begging to me." The raptor harpy teased in a sadistic tone.

"Like hell, I'm going to beAAAHHHH! HEY! DON'T DROP ME FROM UP HERE! I'LL BREAK SOMETHING!"

While this was happening, Papi, Suu, Vee and Yui looked on with wide smiles on their faces, thinking that the two MON agents were having a whale of a time. "Hey, I want to fly too!" The human girl exclaimed excitedly.

Papi jumped up to her talons and took off into the air before picking up Yui from the ground to fly with her. "Up we go!"

"Yay! This is so much fun!"

Isao walked up to Sulphira's side as they watched the chaos unfold before them, unsurprised by the unfolding events. "Um, should we do something about this? Someone might get hurt." He said with a hint of worry.

"I don't think there's much we could do, to be honest. I'm sure they won't let it get too out of hand anyway." She replied as she kept a close eye on Yui and the blue harpy flying her around.

"That's a good point." The store clerk responded as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, I don't think we've been introduced." He said suddenly as he extended a hand towards the dragonewt. "I'm Isao Ishida."

The onyx-scaled girl looked back at him and gave him a warm smile as she grasped his hand and firmly shook it. "Sulphira Magnious, it's a pleasure."

The pair continued to talk as Yui was enjoying her flight with Papi and the two slime girls continued to play on the playset, as well as Yuuto desperately trying to avoid being dropped from the air by his raptor harpy squadmate. Despite the antics happening before them, situations such as these were quickly becoming a part of everyday life.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay again, I've been sorting out getting a car recently, plus I've been struggling to come up with what to write for the 'Playing Host' chapters. They'll be one more of these which will focus mainly on Rachnera, so look forward to that. Afterwards, I'll finally get around to doing the date with Lala, and hopefully, things will get interesting from there.**

 **If you haven't already, feel free to follow/favourite the story if you wish to keep up with it and feel free to drop a review or any suggestions to help me improve. As always, thanks for reading this and I'll catch you next time!**


	36. Playing Host (Part 4)

Darkness. Wherever Yuuto looked, there was a black void as far as the eye could see, that and the loneliness that permeated through him in this dark space. He desperately looked for any sign of life, but he found none. He was all alone.

"Hello?" He called out, his voice echoing into the void, but he received no response.

As he turned around, his arm got caught on something sticky and he suddenly jumped back from it, finding a long thick stand of spider's silk in front of him. Where it came from, he didn't know, but all he knew that it had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He heard a sound behind him and spun around to find another strand of silk, similar to the last.

"Rachnera?" Yuuto called out once more in a slightly panicked tone.

As if in response, many more strands of webbing shot out in all directions around him. The blonde rushed through a gap to escape the prison of silk and started running like his life depended on it. As he sprinted, more silk shot out from the void from either side of him, as if corralling him towards some unknown destination.

"Seriously Rachnera, cut it out! This isn't funny!" He shouted out of both annoyance and worry, but the arachne didn't respond.

The webs at his sides stopped shooting out from the void suddenly, and the human slowly came to a halt as he was left in the pitch-black space again. Just as he thought he was safe, he saw webbing being shot around him in the distance. He looked all around him to see the dark void slowly being replaced by silk wherever he looked until finally he was encompassed within a large sphere of webs. He then heard the sinister laughter of the spider woman that had been tormenting him thus far.

"My oh my, Yuuto. It seems you have nowhere left to run." Rachnera said in a teasingly sadistic tone, but the blonde couldn't discern where her voice was coming from.

"Rachnera, just stop already!" He shouted in a panic. "Can't we just talk about this?!"

"It's too late for talk. It's time to receive your punishment."

With that, the sphere of webs started to close in on him at an incredible speed. There was nowhere left to run, and nowhere to hide. His face contorted into a look of fear as the webs were mere feet from ensnaring him.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!"

* * *

Yuuto's eyes shot wide open as he found himself lying in Kimihito's bed with Lala's body cuddling up to him on his left, and her head resting against his to the right of him. He then glanced up to see several strands of silk crisscrossing above the pair by only a few feet. He shut his eyes tight as he let out a groan of frustration.

"Goddammit, Rachnera…" He muttered to himself out of annoyance.

The dullahan started stirring from her slumber as her eyes flickered open and her body slowly wrapped her arms around his chest, pressing her mounds against his side. "Me Love, are ye well?" She asked groggily in a concerned tone.

The human looked to his side to see his girlfriend's face filled with worry for him. "Morning Babe." He replied before he wrapped an arm around her head and pressed his lips to hers for a quick kiss, pulling back soon after as he gave her a loving smile. "Yeah, I just had a bad dream, that's all."

Lala gave a loving smile back as her body sat itself up and went to retrieve her head. "Do nay worry, Yuuto. What happens in the realm o' Morpheus stays within his domain." She replied as placed her head back onto her shoulders and made sure it was on right.

Yuuto smirked at her as he sat himself up straight before the young reaper snuggled up to his side once more, placing a hand on his chest as she rested her head against his shoulder. "Not if Rachnera keeps trying to trap me. I honestly can't believe how persistent she's been about it so far." He said as he placed a hand on top of her own and started stroking her white locks with the other.

"Aye, Rachnera seems oath-bound tae fulfil her goal o' bringing ye tae justice over yer joint transgression with the Shapeshifter."

"Hey, Doppel asked for my help, and she made an offer I couldn't refuse."

She looked up at him quizzically at his statement. "And what deal did ye make with her?"

The blonde merely smirked back at her as he rested his forehead against hers. "That's for me to know and you to find out." He teased before pressing his lips to hers once more.

Their lips glossed over each other softly as the dullahan slowly wrapped her arms around her neck and shifted herself, so she was now straddling him. She pressed her chest against his, pinning him against the headrest as they deepened their kiss. Lala let out quiet moans as their tongues caressed each other in their fit of passion. Their lips soon parted as they needed to catch their breath, resting their foreheads against each other as they stared longingly into the other's eyes.

"Yuuto, ye canna fathom how much I want us tae combine our life energies right now." She said to him in a needy tone as she gently ground her hips against his, eliciting a pleasurable moan from her lips.

"Yeah, I'm just as frustrated as you are," Yuuto replied as he placed his hands on the sides of her hips to halt her thrusting. "but we need to play it cool for now. I don't want us to get caught doing something we're not supposed to be doing." He continued dejectedly, trying his best to suppress his carnal desires for the time being.

Lala loosened her grip on her boyfriend and placed her hands on his shoulders as she rested her head in the crook of his neck. "Then I shall look forward tae the day we're able tae unleash our full passion upon each other." She said with a hint of optimism before she started to kiss and nip at his collarbone affectionately.

The human looked down at his girlfriend with a warm smile on his lips as he gently caressed her back with one hand and stroked her hair with the other. "Me too, Lala. Me too." The pair continued to do this for a few moments before the blonde shifted his girlfriend to one side to free himself. "As much I want to do this all day, I've got stuff that needs doing, like clearing up all this silk for example." He said before reaching a hand under the pillows. After a few seconds of searching, he pulled out Black Lotus from under the pillows and soon after unsheathed the blade from its sheath.

"It would be my pleasure tae assist ye in this task, me Love." The young reaper replied as she materialised Crescent Shadow in her hands.

Outside Kimihito's bedroom, Rachnera was standing by the door as she heard the couple let out what sounded like battle cries as well as the slashing of their blades through her webbing. The arachne let out a defeated sigh at having another one of her traps disarmed so easily.

"Seems like trapping the bedroom will be a waste of time seeing that little reaper refuses to budge from his side." She muttered to herself as she was already in the midst of planning her next trap. "Perhaps I should go for a subtler approach…" She continued as she stroked her chin in thought.

Just then, Centorea came out of her room and started heading for the stairs before she noticed her housemate's scheming. "Rachnera, what foul trickery hast thou wrought upon our caretaker this time?" The centaur asked in an accusing tone.

She glanced at her equestrian housemate as a mischievous grin graced her lips. "Oh, nothing that Yuuto can't handle it seems, so there's nothing to worry about." She replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Thou art aware that thy schemes are affecting not just Yuuto, but the rest of the household also, or art thou past caring about such things?" Centorea said as her tone became more aggravated.

"Come on now, Horse Flesh. You know as well as I do that this is typical of itsy bitsy me." With that, Rachnera skittered over the railing by the stairs and started crawling down the wall. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to set up my next surprise for our dear caretaker."

With the arachne gone, Centorea sighed to herself in frustration at how her eight-legged housemate was behaving. "I wish thou wouldst put an end to this pointless vendetta already…"

* * *

Later on, Yuuto was carrying a basket of dirty laundry with some difficulty towards the washroom. On his way there, he ran into Miia, who was in the middle of humming to herself joyously, until she noticed the blonde agent walking towards her.

"Hey, Yuuto-kun. Here, let me sort that out for you." She said with a bright smile as she took the basket from him with her tail and made her way to the washroom.

"Thanks, Miia, it would be a really big help." He replied with an appreciative smile.

"No problem!" She replied ecstatically as she opened the door to the washroom and was about to make her way in.

Suddenly, his eyes widened in realisation as he thought about what could be waiting for the poor lamia. "Miia, don't go-!"

"AAAHHH!"

The redhead let out a high-pitched scream as her front half entered the washroom, soon followed by her dropping the dirty washing from her tail. Yuuto rushed to the door frame to see what had happened. He found Miia caught in many strands of sticky spider's silk as she frantically struggled to free herself from the webs.

"Goddammit! That's the third time this week!" The lamia exclaimed in frustration as she continued her pointless struggle.

As this was happening, the blonde heard the faint sound of skittering to his right, barely seeing her legs disappear upstairs out of the corner of his eye. "Rachnera!" He shouted in an annoyed tone as he was about to confront the arachne but was prevented from leaving as the tip of Miia's tail wrapped around his waist, stopping him in place.

"Yuuto-kun, I'd really appreciate it if you help me out here! I feel all sticky and gross right now!" Miia whined as if she was on the verge of tears.

*Sigh* "Alright, just hold still while I cut you out." He answered as he freed himself from her tail before unsheathing Black Lotus from its sheath, soon making his way into the washroom to free the poor lamia.

"Hey! Watch where you point that thing!"

* * *

It was nearly lunchtime by the time he cleared out the washroom and sorted out the dirty laundry. He was on his way downstairs with Lala after they hung up the laundry and were making their way to the kitchen to sort out lunch. As they made their way into the living room, they saw that the whole room was covered in webbing as Miia, Centorea, and Mero struggled to clear it up with a broom, sword and duster respectively, while Papi, Suu, and Vee were swinging around joyously in swings made of spider's silk.

"Seriously, what the hell is Rachnee's problem?! This is really starting to piss me off!" Miia exclaimed as she struggled to pull the broom free from the webbing.

"I am unsure, though she does not show any signs of relenting anytime soon." Centorea responded in an annoyed tone as she was slicing through silk with her blade.

"I must say that it has been some time since lady Rachnera has caused such a disturbance, though I do not recall her having any caffeine as of late." She added with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Whee! This is so much fun!" Papi exclaimed as she swung from side to side.

"Spin, spin, spin!" Suu shouted as she spun her swing around.

"Spin me too, Suu!" Vee exclaimed excitedly to her slime friend.

"You three! Stop being useless and help out already!" The redhead shouted in annoyance.

Yuuto merely placed a hand over his face as he let out a groan of frustration. Lala placed a hand on his back and rubbed it gently in an attempt to comfort him.

Miia caught sight of him and quickly slithered her way towards him. "Yuuto-kun, you really need to talk to Rachnee about this! This is getting out of hand!" She exclaimed, letting out her frustrations.

"I have to agree," Centorea added as she sheathed her sword. "it has only gotten this bad since thou hast come to stay here."

The human looked up at the young knight and furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Cerea, if I confront her, she'll capture me in an instant."

"And she'll stop making such a mess of the place!" Miia interjected as her temper flared up. "I know how unpleasant it is to be tied up in her webs, but she won't stop until she has you!"

"I hate to admit it, but Miss Miia has a point." Mero chimed in hesitantly with her hands held together on her lap. "Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the good of the people."

The dullahan of the group soon stepped in front of her boyfriend and held her arms wide, putting herself between him and the girls. "I canna allow ye tae sacrifice me Love tae her! Yuuto has done all within his power tae protect us from her traps!" She exclaimed, angered that the others would think such a thing.

"And a valiant effort he has made, but you know Rachnera won't stop until she has what she wants." Centorea explained to her begrudgingly.

Yuuto let out a loud sigh that caught the attention of the girls. "Girls let's just focus on cleaning up this mess for now." He said out loud in a stern tone. "I'll have to have a word with Rachnera later, but first I'm going to check out if she's made a mess of outside too. I wouldn't put it past her at this point."

"But me Love," Lala said as she grabbed a hold of his hand. "ye'll be by yerself. She'll have her way with ye if ye go out there." She continued as she looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"That's a risk I'll have to take. Worst case scenario, she catches me, and all this hassle stops, hopefully…" He replied dejectedly before he pulled his hand from her and started making his way to the porch outside.

The girls were left in the living room as the mood turned gloomy. Miia, Mero, and Centorea couldn't help but feel guilty for practically making Yuuto Rachnera's plaything for however long it would be, while Lala threated over his wellbeing. Papi, Suu, and Vee just hung in their swings as they let what happened sink in.

"Is Rachnee is big trouble?" The harpy asked, worried that something bad might happen to the arachne.

"Mayhap, but Yuuto has shown a great deal of compassion and leniency during his time here," Centorea replied as she resumed her cleaning. "I am far more worried for him, though I doubt Rachnera will take things too far."

"Yuuto…" Vee muttered to herself as she worried about what would happen to the man that had taken such good care of her so far.

The rest of the group stayed quiet as they resumed their cleaning. The upcoming events in the Kurusu household were out of their hands now.

* * *

Yuuto said that he wanted to make sure that outside was alright, but in reality, he just wanted some time to himself. Over the few days he stayed at the Kurusu residence, the stress had been slowly mounting upon him, and this latest issue with Rachnera was about to tip him over the edge. He just wanted to be alone for a moment, so he could take a breather and collect his thoughts, though what he would find would only add to the stress. As he stepped out onto the porch and shut the door behind him, he was greeted by the sight of the area being covered in spider silk crisscrossing in every direction. Even out here he wouldn't be free from the arachne's torment.

"GODDAMMIT!" He shouted from the top of his lungs, loud enough for the whole neighbourhood to hear.

Without thinking he unsheathed Black Lotus and started swinging at the webbing in frustration. He hoped that the act would help relieve his stress, but it only added to it. He grunted and yelled as he sliced through the silk, but the more he swung, the more webbing he'd be confronted with, and it started to feel like an endless cycle of torment for the human. He stopped his swinging as he took a moment to catch his breath, frustrated that he was seemingly getting nowhere with the situation he found himself in. He tried to think of the best way to deal with Rachnera without having to subject himself to her bindings, but he was brought from his thoughts as he heard someone call for help.

"Hello, Yuuto?! We require your assistance!" The voice called out in a familiar French accent.

The blonde's eyes widened in realisation as he turned to face where the voice was coming from. "Mireille?! Is that you?!" He shouted back, not quite believing it was her.

"Oui! Kasumi is here too, but we've gotten ourselves into a bind here!" She replied with a hint of distress.

Yuuto composed himself and readied his Katana once more. "Hold on, I'm on my way!"

The MON agent started making his way to them as he sliced through the silk that stood in his way. After doing this for a moment, he turned the corner of the house and found the two insectoid liminals trapped within the sticky threads. Mireille was suspended with her arms stuck outstretched to her sides and her wings unable to flaps due to the tension of the silk sticking to them. Kasumi found herself in a direr situation as she was hanging upside-down in her sticky prison, her arms and sickles were stuck to her chest, and some silk had even stuck itself over her mouth as she was only able to make muffled sounds of distress as she saw her captain approach them.

"Seriously, what are you two even doing here?" The human questioned.

Kasumi tried to explain despite her current inability to do so, and only came out with muffled grunts.

"My Sweet was worried about your wellbeing and decided to check up on you, and I came along to make sure she didn't get into any trouble, though as you can see, I wasn't much help…" The papillion answered in an embarrassed tone.

Yuuto couldn't help but smile at the pair as he walked up to the empusa and locked eyes with her. "Kasumi, you wouldn't happen to have any kunai on you by any chance?"

She nodded in response, unable to do anything else.

He smirked back at her and found her belt with all her shinobi equipment on hand. He pulled out one of the kunai and used it to cut free the silk that covered her mouth. "Didn't Raia tell you I'd call if I needed help?" He chided her playfully as he pulled the silk off her face.

"We all know how stubborn you can be, Senpai, so I wished to investigate how you were truly coping with the situation." She said flatly, though the human could barely detect a hint of worry in her tone of voice.

"Yeah and look where that got you." He replied as he playfully poked her forehead. "C'mon, let's get you two down from there."

Yuuto continued to cut her free, starting by cutting through the silk that bound her arms and sickles to her chest. Once they were free, he stepped back and put the kunai in his back pocket before unsheathing Black Lotus once more. "I'm going to need you to hold still for a second." He said in warning, to which the empusa nodded in reply. He then proceeded to slash at either side of her, cutting her free of the trap and causing her to fall to the ground with a grunt of pain.

"Kasumi, you alright?" He asked as he knelt down and extended a hand to her.

"I believe so." She replied as she sat herself up and rubbed the side of her head with one of her sickles. She then reached out a hand and grasped his, and the blonde proceeded to pull her up onto her feet.

"Well, that's one down," He started as he turned his attention towards the still trapped papillion. "and one to go."

"Please, do hurry Yuuto. It is getting rather uncomfortable up here." Mireille whined as she tried to pull herself free from the webbing.

"Don't worry, this shouldn't take long." Yuuto replied as he readied his katana. He effortlessly cut the silk from around the girl, freeing her arms, legs, and wings from the trap. She was still dangling from a strand of silk stuck to her back, but it was too high up for the human to reach. "This might be a problem." He said to himself as he tried to think of a way of getting her down safely.

"Don't worry, Senpai, I can handle this." Kasumi said as she stuck a hand down the back pocket of Yuuto's jeans to retrieve the kunai he had, causing him to flinch as she nonchalantly pulled it out.

"Geez, warn a guy when you do that, will you?!" He said to her in an annoyed tone.

"Was that not sufficient warning?" The empusa asked as she tilted her head to one side, giving him a questioning look.

"No, it was not." He replied, furrowing his eyebrows at her.

She nodded back at him before returning her attention to her currently suspended girlfriend, reading her kunai as she took aim at the webbing stuck to the papillion's back. "Mireille, I need you to stay very still for me."

Mireille's eyes widened in realisation of what the shinobi had planned. "Kasumi, I do hope you don't plan to-" She started in a worried tone, but she was cut off as the kunai flew past the back of her head, cutting the silk from her back effortlessly, and she let out a yelp of surprise as she started to fall.

"I've got you!" Yuuto shouted as he readied himself to catch the papillion.

She fell into his arms, but the sudden shift in weight knocked the blonde off balance, and the pair toppled to the ground. He landed hard on his back as Mireille landed on top of him, now resting on his chest as she tried to regain her bearings.

She propped herself up and looked down at him to see the dazed look on his face. "Oh my, are you alright, Yuuto?" She said in a worried tone.

Yuuto shook some sense back into himself as he propped himself onto his elbows and looked up at the concerned papillion. "Don't worry, I'm good." He replied, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

Mireille smiled back at him before she wrapped her top pair of arms around his neck and her bottom pair around his chest as she pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for helping me."

The human's cheeks went red at the sudden act of affection, but he smiled to himself as he gently patted the girl's back. "It's no problem."

After a moment, Mireille got off of him and helped him to his feet as Kasumi made her way to the papillion's side. "Mireille, are you hurt?" She asked with visible concern.

The blue-haired girl looked at her girlfriend before she furrowed her eyebrows at the empusa and puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "I am fine, no thanks to you…" She whined in an attempt to guilt-trip the shinobi.

Kasumi averted her gaze from hers as she started rubbing her sickles together, looking very much like a scolded puppy.

Mireille couldn't help but smile back at the empusa and pulled her into a loving hug. "Oh, my Sweet. You know I can't stay mad at you." She said, her voice filled with care and affection.

The shinobi smiled to herself as she clasped her sickles around the papillion's shoulder and her arms around her waist before giving her girlfriend a peck on the check. "I'm sorry." She replied as she nuzzled he check against Mireille's.

"It's alright, I know you meant well." She said as she nuzzled back before she pulled back and gave the empusa a chaste kiss on the lips, which Kasumi happily reciprocated.

While the pair were sharing in their affections, Yuuto sighed to himself as he leant his back against the side of the house, still frustrated with the whole Rachnera situation. He was agonising over how he would deal with the troublesome arachne, but with every solution he came up with, there was no way for him to avoid falling into her clutches. He couldn't just ignore the problem either due to her persistence, and there seemed to be no easy way out of this mess. The more he thought about it, the more stressed out he got, he just didn't know what to do.

"Senpai?"

He snapped back into reality and looked up to see Kasumi standing in front of him with a worried look on her face. He felt bad for making her worry though, and he didn't like feeling that he was a burden to anyone.

"I'm sorry, Kasumi." He started as he broke his gaze from hers. "This place has just got me stressed out, and I don't know what to do about it."

Without warning, the empusa pressed herself up against him, clasping her sickles around his shoulders and wrapping her arms around his chest as she started nuzzling up against him. "I'm not sure what's bothering you, but I'm sure everything will be fine. I'm always here for you if you need me." She said in a comforting tone as she tightened her grip on him.

The blonde looked down at her and couldn't help by smile to himself as he hugged her back tightly, letting his emotions take hold for a moment as he rested the side of his head on top of hers. "Thanks, I really needed this." He replied as he wept to himself.

"Happy to help." Kasumi said as she let a warm slime creep onto her lips, glad that she was able to help her captain to some degree.

They stayed like this for some time as Yuuto recomposed himself after the emotional moment. Eventually, they separated and Yuuto stood up straight while Mireille moved to her girlfriend's side once more. "Is there anything we can do to help while we're here?" The papillion asked.

"Well, I was going to make a start on lunch soon. You're welcome to help with that if you want." The blonde answered as he started to make his way back inside, now accompanied by the two insectoid liminals.

"Oh, it would be my pleasure, Yuuto." She replied in a joyous tone.

* * *

Some time had passed, and lunch was ready. Rachnera hadn't come down so Yuuto used it as an excuse to take it up to her by himself. Lala had desperately offered to accompany him, but he refused, not wanting her to get caught up in what was about to happen. He used a spare broom to knock at the hatch to the attic that was the arachne's abode in the house, though he had failed to get a response from her so far.

"Rachnera, I've got sandwiches for you!" He shouted to get her attention.

Still no response.

The human sighed to himself as he put the broom to one side and put the plate of sandwiches down as he looked up at the hatch. "Rachnera, I'm done with this little game of yours, you win. So, if you want to punish me so badly, then get it over with. I'm not going to inconvenience everyone else over this anymore."

He waited for a reply of any sort, but he received none. With a defeated sigh he turned around to start making his leave, but he stopped as soon as he heard the hatch open. Before he could even turn around, he found his mouth covered in webbing and a strand of silk stuck to his back. He let out a muffled yelp as he was quickly and silently hauled up into the attic. Within seconds he was hung upside down with his arms bound behind his back and his legs wrapped together by the sticky threads. He looked up to see Rachnera retrieving her lunch with a line of webbing, placing it in her hands as she shut the hatch with one of her legs. She took a bite from one of the slices and let out a satisfied hum as she chewed on it. She soon swallowed it, which was followed by a sigh of satisfaction.

"Not bad, Yuuto. They're not as good as Honey's, but still quite delectable." She said as she placed them on the armrest of her couch before skittering back to him, now with a sadistic smirk on her lips and an equally sadistic look in her six crimson eyes. "Now that I've got you here, let's see how much you can endure before to succumb to my bindings." She added in a sinister tone.

Yuuto just let out a defeated sigh into the gag as he locked eyes with her, giving the arachne an annoyed look.

"Great." She said in a more joyous tone as she closed the distance and ripped the gag from his mouth. "Now, I've got a few positions I want to use on Honey, but I wanted to test them out on you first. Luckily you two are a similar build, so this will be just perfect."

"Just get it over with…" The blonde replied as he furrowed his eyebrow at her.

"You asked for it." She answered as she winked at him with her right eyes. She started putting him in the first binding, which involved arching his back with his legs bent back and tied together while pulling his arms back and tying his wrists to his ankles. "I call this one the 'Reverse Cradle', though the name is a work in progress."

Yuuto just hung there and shut his eyes tight as he slowed his breathing, not wanting to give her a reaction.

"Hmm, nothing, huh?" Rachnera puzzled as she stroked her chin in thought. "Okay, let's try this one." She continued as her face took on a sadistic look once more. She repositioned him once more, hanging him upside down by the waist this time, spreading his legs out so his feet were dangling from either side of his head, and his arms bound together and tied next to his crotch. "I haven't got a good name for this one yet, but I have to say it's quite erotic, don't you agree?" She said as her cheeks went a light tint of red, just imagining doing it to her Honey.

The human's cheeks were also going red, but he kept his eyes shut, refusing to show her any emotion.

The arachne smirked to herself as she just thought of a great idea. "You are quite the tough nut to crack, but I will get a reaction from you, one way or another."

Yuuto kept his eyes shut tight, but he could hear the rustling of clothes from where Rachnera was standing. Shortly after he felt something soft hit him in the face before dropping to the floor. He opened his eyes and looked down to see the top she was wearing just moments ago lying underneath him. He then shot his eyes up at her once more to see her standing only a few feet from him with only a purple-lace bra covering her voluptuous breasts. He shut his eyes tight like a vice as his whole face went bright red.

"A little dullahan told me that you have a fetish for girls prancing around in lingerie." She said to him in a suggestive tone as she took off her loincloth, revealing purple-lace panties. "Let's see how long you'll last against this."

Rachnera soon closed the distance again and without warning pulled his head to her breasts. She pressed his face in between them as she let out a slight chuckle, her cheeks going red as a result. Yuuto initially flinched as his face pressed against her soft mounds, but he tried to steady his breathing despite how difficult it was in his current position. He shut his eyes again and tried his best not to react, but the redness of his face did little to hide his embarrassment.

"Oh, Yuuto, you dirty boy." She said in a seductive tone as she rubbed her breasts up and down against his face. "What would Lala think if she saw you do such lewd things with another girl? I don't think her heart could take it." She teased as her own cheeks went red.

The blonde knew that she wasn't actually trying to seduce him, but merely doing whatever it would take to get a reaction out of him, to embarrass him to the point where he'd want to crawl into a hole and die or to anger him so he would lose his temper with her. Despite the problematic situation he found himself in, he couldn't allow himself to fall into her trap and give her what she wanted, so he continued to hold out against her tormenting behaviour, keeping himself as still and as calm as possible. After a moment, Rachnera let go of his head and allowed him to freely swing back and forth in his current binding. She looked down at him, clearly aggravated by his lack of response since his capture. After a moment, she swiped a claw through the thread that was currently suspending Yuuto in the air, causing him to crash to the ground with a grunt of pain.

"Stubborn fool." She said in a disapproving tone. "Do you think you'll get anywhere by staying silent?"

Yuuto sat himself up before standing to his feet to face the arachne with some difficulty, due to his arms still being bound. "It got you to let me down, didn't it?" He said as he smirked back at her.

"Don't be a smartass." Rachnera retorted sternly as she skittered up to him and leant down so she was at eye level with him. "You're only here because the others asked you to confront me. If you don't have the common decency to follow through with your decision, then you might as well get out my sight."

The human's face turned grim as he furrowed his eyebrows at her. "It's obvious you're still pissed about the prank Doppel and I pulled the other day, yet you're more concerned about tormenting us than talking it over. Granted, her prank was a little extreme and I apologise for that, but you're just as guilty if you think making life difficult for the others just so you can get at me is reasonable."

The arachne just stared back at him for a moment before she gave him a smirk. "It's only a bit of harmless fun." She replied as she used one of her claws to cut the blonde's arms free from their bindings before leaning down to pick up her top. "Besides, no one got hurt." She added as she skittered towards the couch, putting her top and loincloth back on as she did so.

"That's not the point." He said sternly as he made his way to the couch as well. "We're not going to get anywhere unless I find out why you want to get back at me and Doppel so badly."

Rachnera's face went bright red as she sat on the couch, facing away from him. "Well, did you not think that you could've traumatised the little ones by subjecting them to that… that monstrosity?" She said in a slightly shaky tone.

Yuuto quirked an eyebrow at her as he took a seat next to her. "That 'monstrosity' is Doppel, and somehow I don't think this is just about Papi and Suu."

She flinched before slowly turning to face him with an embarrassed look on her face. "What… gave you that idea? I'm just looking out for them, that's all…"

The human chimed in on her sudden fit of embarrassment, and his eyes widened in realisation of why she was so mad at him and Doppel. He then furrowed his eyebrows at her and gave her a smug look. "Holy crap, you were terrified too, weren't you?" He said in a teasing tone.

"I was not! I was merely caught off guard!" Rachnera exclaimed as her whole face went red.

"Aww, did the itsy bitsy spider get scaredy waredy of the big bad Doppel?" Yuuto said in a cutesy tone as he continued to tease the arachne. "There's no need to get all embarrassed."

"I'm not embarrassed!" She shouted as she attempted to grab hold of him, but the blonde jumped to his feet and avoided her entirely, now standing to face her.

The teasing look on his face was soon replaced with a warm smile. "It's alright, Rachnera. To be honest, I nearly pissed myself in terror when I first saw that form of hers. I still get chills just thinking about it."

Rachnera just huffed at him before she crossed her arms over her chest and broke eye contact with him as she pouted to herself. "Well, it wasn't funny. What would you have done if Lala was there with us?"

"I wouldn't have gone through with it." He answered sincerely. "And I'm really sorry for letting it happen to begin with, it was kind of naïve of me to think that there'd be no repercussions for it."

"The arachne locked eyes with him once more before a smirk appeared on her lips. "You really would do anything for her, wouldn't you?"

"…Well, it's the reason I helped Doppel in the first place…" He answered in an embarrassed tone as his own cheeks went red.

"What, did the little troublemaker blackmail you or something?"

"…It was more of an offer to help me and Lala out…"

Rachnera started giggling to herself as a teasing grin appeared on her face. "Oh my, Yuuto, you dirty boy. I knew you weren't a 'by the book' kind of guy, but this is shameful behaviour, even from you." She said, figuring out why the human went to such great lengths for his girlfriend.

Yuuto couldn't help but smirk back at the arachne. "You know that I love Lala, and I'd do just about anything for her."

"Well, I hope that doesn't include dying." She responded as her tone grew serious. "She'd never forgive you if you let that happen."

"Honestly, I'd think she'd do everything in her power to stop that from happening anyway."

Rachnera quirked an eyebrow at him. "Oh, is there something the two of you are hiding?" She asked in an accusative tone.

"Well, let's just say that there's more to her than her chuunibyou nature lets on." He answered, trying to be as vague as possible for Lala's sake.

She eventually smiled back at him, seemingly satisfied with his answer for the time being. "Very interesting. Well, seeing you did what you did for your precious girlfriend, then I guess I can accept your apology." She replied as she skittered up to him with her hands on her hips.

The human smirked at her before he raised his arm towards her, holding out a clutched fist in front of her. "So, we're still friends, right?"

Rachnera stayed silent for a moment, but she eventually smirked back at him and bumped his fist with her own. "Sure, why not. Also, you're free to call me Rachnee if you want. Everyone else seems to do so anyway."

He couldn't help but give her a warm smile at that response. "Thanks, Rachnee." He answered before turning around to start making his way back downstairs. "Well, I guess I'll leave you in peace now. The other girls are probably wondering where I've-"

He was cut short as he felt the arachne's clawed hands pressed down on top of his shoulders to prevent his escape. He looked back at her with a worried look on his face as she rested her chin on his shoulder, giving him a sadistic smirk. "And where do you think you're going? We still need to carry out your punishment."

"Rachnee, I think I've been through enouAAAAHHHH! HEY! QUIT IT ALREADY!" He shouted as she started to bind him in her silk once more.

"That's more like it." Rachnera said, pleased with the human's reaction. "Now, where did we leave things off? I've got so many positions to try out on you." She continued as she started to get giddy with anticipation.

"I would cease yer transgression if I were ye."

Rachnera froze for a moment as she heard the voice of her dullahan housemate behind her, and she was clearly displeased with what was happening to her boyfriend. "If ye continue tae follow this path, then I have nay choice but tae unleash the wrath o' a thousand Hells upon-"

Lala was quickly cut short as the arachne made short work of tying the chuunibyou up in her silk, even going as far as making sure her head and neck were bound together nice and tight. "Well, look at what we have here. A servant of Death has graced us with her presence." Rachnera said teasingly as she marvelled at her handiwork.

"Spider! What is the meaning o' this?!" The Chuunihan exclaimed in a panicked tone.

"Oh, I have something special planned for you and your Love over there." She answered as her tone grew sadistic once more.

The arachne quickly and easily picked the pair up and bound them together before suspending them mid-air with her webbing. Yuuto and Lala were tied together with their chests pressed against one another as they looked in horror at the woman smirking at them.

"Rachnee?" He asked in a worried tone. "What do you plan to-?"

"Oh, I should be thanking the two of you." She cut him off in a tone that was both teasing and sadistic. "I've never had a chance to do couple's bindings before, this will be so much fun." She continued with a devious glint in her crimson eyes.

* * *

Back on the landing, just underneath the hatch to the attic, Kasumi and Mireille looked up in worry at the somewhat lewd noises coming from above them.

"My Sweet? Shouldn't we do something to help them? They seem to be in some sort of trouble." The papillion said with concern in her voice.

"I am sure they'll be fine. I think they might even be enjoying themselves from what I can hear." The shinobi answered flatly. "Besides, as far as I am concerned, your safety comes first."

Mireille couldn't help but give her girlfriend a loving smile as she wrapped her into a tight hug, which Kasumi happily reciprocated. "You are always so over-protective, but I just love that about you." She replied before giving the empusa a chaste kiss on the lips. "At the very least we should keep an eye on the others while Yuuto and Lala deal with Rachnera's needs, so to say."

Kasumi smiled back at the papillion before she affectionately rubbed her nose against hers. "I'd be happy to." She said as the pair started making their way back downstairs, sickle in hand.

Eventually, everyone has to own up to their mistakes and face the consequences of their actions. Luckily for Yuuto, the consequences of his actions ended up being a lot more pleasant than he anticipated with his girlfriend being caught up in the mess, though he doubted Lala would ever let him live down the embarrassment they were about to go through.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that happened. I'll let you all imagine what kind of erotic positions Rachnee is putting poor Yuuto and Lala through.**

 **Speaking of, it's the big date you've all been looking forward to for all the Yuuto x Lala fans, though I might need help with suggestions for date locations and activities for the next chapter. Haven't really planned much, other than how to end it though, big things are about to happen soon.**

 **As always, follow/favourite the story if you've enjoyed it so far, and leave a review or any suggestions as they are always appreciated. Thanks for reading the latest chapter and I'll see you next time!**


	37. A day to remember (Part 1)

**A/N: Sorry about the delay again, haven't been able to find much time to write lately, especially now that I'm playing Magic the Gathering Arena. Also, the date itself won't be till next chapter now seeing the set up for it was longer than I anticipated. Hopefully you'll enjoy the new chapter and can bare a bit longer for the date, I've got some great ideas in mind for it. So, enough excuses, on with the story!**

* * *

It seemed like a miracle, but he did it. Yuuto had managed to survive two weeks at the Kurusu residence, and he had received news from Ms Smith that Kimihito was well enough to come back home from the hospital. As they waited for the host's return, the MON agent and the girls took the time to get the house nice and tidy for his arrival. As they were tidying up though, Miia waited patiently in the hallway near the front door for her Darling to return. While she was doing this, Yuuto came strolling in from the living room to check to see what else needed doing. He stopped as he noticed the lamia fidgeting with her hands as she struggled to keep herself still. It seemed that Miia was anxious about seeing what condition Kimihito would be in when he got back, and it worried her to no end. The blonde smirked to himself as he couldn't help but try and help put her at ease.

"Hey Miia, you okay over there?" He asked as he walked over to her side.

"Oh, Yuuto-kun," Miia replied in a surprised tone, only just noticing he was there. "sorry, but I'm just worried about what state Darling's going to be in when he gets here. What if he can't walk by himself? Will he even be able to-"

"Hey, calm down, will you?" Yuuto cut in as he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I'm sure he'll be just fine, though you girls might have to do a little more for yourselves while he's still recovering, alright?"

The lamia was silent for a moment before smiling back at him with a look of determination on her face. "Right!" She exclaimed as she pumped both her fists. "Darling's going to be treated like a prince when he gets back! I'll treat him to my homemade cooking all he wants!"

"Yeah, that's not happening…" Yuuto replied as he deadpanned at her.

"Oh, come on! My cooking has gotten better!" Miia shouted in an irate tone.

"Only because I was here to make sure you stuck to the instructions."

She turned away from him and pouted to herself, upset at having her culinary skills criticized once again. "Yuuto-kun, you can be really mean sometimes…"

Yuuto quirked an eyebrow as he smirked back at her. "Well, maybe if you learnt the basics before you start experimenting, then honestly, I-"

"Incoming!"

The pair were interrupted as they heard Suu and Vee shouting in unison. They saw the pair of slime girls rushing towards them in their blob forms as they were cleaning the floor in the hallway. The blonde dodged to the side to avoid the oncoming slimeballs, though his attempt at avoiding one catastrophe only led him to another as he was flying in Miia's direction. The lamia saw this and quickly reacted by holding up his shoulders with her hands and wrapping her tail around his waist to prevent him from crashing into her. Yuuto stopped in place as his face was mere inches away from hers, both their faces going red from how close they were to each other.

Yuuto quickly jumped back from her as he started flailing his hands at her apologetically. "Oh, sorry about that, Miia! I didn't mean to-!"

"It's alright!" The lamia exclaimed as she did the same. "It was just an accident after all!" She continued before letting out an embarrassed laugh. "I'm just glad I caught you before…" Miia trailed off as her face went slightly pale.

"Hey, are you alright?" The MON agent asked with worry.

The redhead just merely shook her head as she pointed behind him with her tail. Yuuto glanced behind him to see Lala standing behind him, surrounded by a dark aura as she glared at the pair with an upset yet displeased look on her face. If looks could kill, he'd be in Limbo right about now.

"Babe, I can explaAAAAAHHHHH!"

He was cut off as the dullahan tackled him from behind and bowled him over. As he flew forwards and crashed into Miia, the young reaper's head came flying from her shoulders and struck the lamia hard in the face. The trio crashed to the ground with Miia knocked flat on her ass as Yuuto landed face first onto her midriff, with Lala's body landing on his back as she wrapped her arms tightly around his chest, soon followed by her head landing in between Miia's mammaries. They all groaned in pain as the redhead propped herself up on her elbows, looking down at Lala's head with a furious look on her face before he wrapped the tip of her tail around the girl's head and pulled it free from her cleavage.

"The hell is your problem?!" Miia yelled as her tail tightened her grip around the dullahan's head.

"Do nay think that ye can try tae seduce me Love so easily." Lala started in the grim tone of her reaper persona despite the precarious position her head was currently in, her sight blinded by the reptilian's tail. "I will nay allow ye tae have yer way wiOWOWOWOWOW!" She yelled as the lamia constricted her tail tighter around her head.

"I just stopped him from falling over, so take a goddamn chill pill, you damn Shinigami wannabe!" The lamia shouted back in irritation.

As this was happening Yuuto propped himself up with Lala's body still clinging to his back tightly. "Lala, what are you playing at?" He asked his girlfriend in a slightly annoyed tone as he sat himself up straight, now with her body clinging to his side.

Both Yuuto and Miia could just barely see the girl's cheeks go bright red from embarrassment from the confines of the lamia's tail. "I saw ye getting rather close with Miia, and I could nay help but wish tae intervene. It seems that I have misjudged the circumstances of yer closeness…" She answered as her body clung to her boyfriend tighter.

The blonde couldn't help but smirk at her body as he wrapped his arms around her. "We really need to work on your jealous tendencies."

Miia proceeded to place Lala's head back on her shoulders as she looked at the couple with a warm smile on her face. "Yeah, you might hurt Yuuto-kun if you keep tackling him to the ground like that."

The couple glared at the lamia with deadpan expressions on their faces. "Miia, you aren't any better when it comes to Kimihito…" Yuuto replied as he furrowed his eyebrows at her.

"Hey! I can control myself when I want to!" She exclaimed in self-defence.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Just as Miia was saying that a series of knocks came from the front door and Miia got up as fast as she could, slivering towards the door like her life depended on it. She grabbed the handle and flung the door open as a bright smile appeared on her lips.

"DARLING!"

She paused as she realised that it wasn't her Darling at the front door at all. It was the mailman with a stack of letters in hand, and also a bright red blush on his cheeks from the cute lamia standing in front of him.

"H-Here is your mail, M-M-M-Miss…" He said nervously with a polite smile on his face as he handed the letters to her.

Miia's smile dropped into a deadpan expression as she furrowed her eyebrows and took the letters from the man. "Oh, thanks." She replied flatly, her earlier excitement now diminished.

"H-H-Have a nice day." The mailman said before leaving.

The redhead used the tip of her tail to shut the door as she looked over the letters she had received with a look of indifference. The other girls in the house rushed into the hallway from all over the house due to the lamia's exclamation that their host had arrived.

"Miia, hast Milord returned?!" Centorea exclaimed in barely contained excitement.

"Yeah, where's Boss?!" Papi added as she looked around frantically for Kimihito.

"Sorry, false alarm." Miia answered expressionlessly as she continued to scan the letters unenthusiastically.

"Oh, Miss Miia, I do wish that you wouldn't give up our hopes like that." Mero replied with a pout on her face.

"No Master?" Suu questioned with a confused look on her face.

"I'm sorry, but it doesn't appear to be the case." The mermaid answered in an apologetic tone.

"Aww…" The blue slime replied dejectedly as she let her feeler droop to one side.

Vee, who was standing next to her, lifted a hand and started to pet her head comfortingly. "It's okay, Suu. I'm sure Kimihito will be back really soon." She said in a soothing tone in an attempt to cheer her friend up.

The redhead continued to look through the letters until she happened upon a magazine, at which point she paused and her eyes widened in surprise. "Bondage Monthly?" She muttered to herself as she quirked an eyebrow at the offending object. Suddenly a strand of silk shot from about her at the magazine in question and shot up into the air as Miia let out a surprised yelp.

"That'll be mine, thanks."

She looked up to see Rachnera hanging from the ceiling as she freed the magazine from its packaging and began to browse through it with curious delight.

"Rachnee?! How long have you been there?!"

"Long enough." The arachne answered disinterestedly as she continued to scour her tome.

"Whatever…" The lamia muttered to herself as she looked through the last few letters. She stopped again as she came across a package that was thicker than the rest. "Oh, Lala. There's something here for you."

Said dullahan shot to her feet from Yuuto's side and rushed towards Miia to retrieve the package in question. "Ye have me thanks, Serpent. I have waited for an aeon for this tae enter me domain." She replied as she clung it to her chest.

While this was happening, Rachnera descended from the ceiling and gave the young reaper a teasing smirk. "It wouldn't happen to be that eroge manga you've been waiting for, is it?"

Lala's eyes shot wide open at the lilac-haired girl's comment as her cheeks went bright red. "I-I-I do nay know what ye are speaking of…" She replied in an embarrassed tone as she averted her gaze from the spider woman and tried to hide her cheeks behind her scarf.

"Oh?" Rachnera said as she placed a hand over her lips in mock shock. "Is it something you don't want Yuuto to find out?" She questioned in a teasing tone.

The young reaper just kept quiet as her whole face had gone red from embarrassment. "W-We Spectres o' Death have our own secrets that mortals would find mind-shattering…" She stuttered as she clutched the package tighter.

Yuuto got up onto his feet and smirked to himself as he walked over to his girlfriend. "Babe, I'm not going to judge you just because you have an interest in that sort of stuff. I really don't mind." He said to her as he stopped in front of her and began to pat her head lovingly. "To be honest, it's been kind of obvious that you've been thinking a lot about that… sort of thing." He continued as his own cheeks went red.

Lala looked up at him in surprise. "Really?" She asked, wanting to determine whether he was truly okay with her thinking about such dirty things.

"Really."

Lala let out an embarrassed groan as she pressed herself up against the human and buried her face in his chest to hide her increasingly reddening cheeks. The blonde let a warm smile cross his lips as he wrapped his free arm around her waist while he continued to comfortingly pat her head.

"Hey, it's okay, so stop your worrying." He added as he let out a light chuckle at how adorable she was acting.

Just then, the front door opened, and the group turned to see Ms Smith stepped into the house with a smirk on her face. "Morning ladies, morning Bishie-kun. I hope you're all well." She said as she waved a hand at them.

"Oh, Madam Smith, it is good to see you again." Mero answered with a polite smile on her face.

"Ms Smith!" Miia exclaimed in surprise. "Is Darling-?!"

"Don't worry, he's literally right behind me." She replied as moved into the hallway to make way for their host.

They saw Kimihito slowly make his way inside, limping in on a crutch with his left arm and right leg bandaged up in casts. As he stepped inside, he looked up at the group with a warm smile as they looked back at him with wide eyes, not quite believing that he was there.

"Hey everyone, I'm home." He annoyed as a wide goofy grin appeared on his face.

Miia was unable to contain herself any longer as she started to rush towards him with teary eyes and a wide smile of her own. "DARLING!" She exclaimed with joy.

"Ahem!"

The lamia froze on the spot as she was mere feet away from her host as she heard Yuuto loudly clear his throat. She looked back at the blonde human as he was giving her a stern look. "Miia, he just got out of the hospital. Maybe you want to tone it down a notch for now." He explained as he let a smirk cross his lips.

Miia nodded back at him and took a moment to take a deep breath to calm herself down. She then looked back at him with a warm smile before she pressed herself up against him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a loving hug as she rested her chin on his shoulder, trying her best to resist the urge to wrap her massive tail tightly around him.

"Welcome home, Darling." She said lovingly to him as she nuzzled her scaled cheek against his.

Kimihito couldn't help but a warm smile cross his face once more as he placed his good arm on her back and held her tight while he awkwardly leant against the crutch now under his arm. "It's good to be back." He replied as he enjoyed the moment with his lamian homestay.

"Hey, Lovebirds! Shift it!" They heard the exclamation of a certain zombie from near the doorway as they jumped in surprise.

They turned to face Zombina, who was in her work uniform with a teasing grin on her face. With her was Doppel, who had a less than pleased look on her own features, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else other than the Kurusu residence right about now.

"Oh, sorry about that." Kimihito apologised as he and Miia stepped to the side to let the two MON agents inside.

"No worries, Loverboy." She replied as she grabbed the doppelganger's wrist and started dragging her inside. "C'mon Doppel, the sooner we get this out the way, the better."

"Hey! Why am I even here?!" Doppel protested as she struggled to free herself from her captain's grasp. "You and Smith can handle-!"

"Well, look what the cat dragged in." Rachnera cut in as she looked down at the dark-skinned girl with an evil glint in her six crimson eyes as a sadistic smile graced her lips.

The doppelganger flinched before slowly turning her head to face the arachne with a nervous look on her face. "Oh, Rachnera, fancy meeting you-"

Doppel didn't have time to finish her sentence as the lilac-haired woman lassoed her with her webs before tying the troublemaker up and gagging her, making sure to ensnare her hair in a cocoon of spider's silk for good measure. "How nice of you to drop by, Doppel. I've been meaning to thank you for your little prank the other day." Rachnera replied sadistically as she held her up and lightly prodded one of her clawed fingers against her cheek, while the doppelganger futilely tried to scream for help through her gag.

"We know that Doppel has caused you and your group some problems recently." Ms Smith interjected as she lowered her sunglasses to lock eyes with the arachne. "You're free to 'Talk it out' while we're here." She suggested, knowing exactly what was going to happen to the poor doppelganger.

"An excellent idea, Ms Smith." Rachnera replied before turning her attention back to Doppel with a menacing glare in her eyes. "We certainly have lots to 'Talk' about." With that, the arachne skittered upstairs with her prey in hand as the poor girl bound and gagged tried desperately to call for help.

Zombina let out a gut-wrenching laugh as she saw her squadmate whisked away towards her inevitable fate. "AHAHAHAHAHA! It's about time someone put her in her place!" She exclaimed with a toothy grin on her face.

"Ever the caring squad leader I see." Yuuto interjected in a sarcastic tone, giving the zombie a smirk.

His fellow squad captain smirked back at him as she slowly sauntered her way towards the blonde. "Glad to see you're still in one piece, Beesh." She said before she reached him and wrapped an arm around the back of his neck, pulling his head so it was pressing against her chest, much to the annoyance of a certain reaper. "You really are made of tough stuff!" She exclaimed as she started ruffling his hair.

"Yeah, have to be to put up with you." He replied in annoyance as he tried to free himself from the embarrassing position he was in, struggling against her inhuman strength.

"Undying one, ye would do well tae nay get overly affectionate with me Love." The dullahan warned as she stared daggers at the MON captain.

"Quit your whining, Headless. I haven't seen him in two weeks, plus I bet you've had him all to yourself this whole time." She replied in a suggestive tone, causing Lala's cheeks to go red with embarrassment.

As Yuuto finally pulled himself free from Zombina's clutches, Ms Smith sauntered up to the pair of captains and smirked at the blonde agent. "It's good to see you're doing well, Bishie-kun. Seems you've done a fine job of keeping things together while Darling-kun was gone."

"Thanks, Ma'am. Just doing my job." He replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"And he has fulfilled his quest with great acclaim." Lala added as she wrapped her arms around his and pressed herself against him.

"Good to hear," Kuroko started as she lowered her sunglasses and eyed up the couple with a teasing grin on her face. "but I do hope the two of you haven't been engaging in any illicit activities while Darling-kun's been gone, have you?"

Both their cheeks went bright red as they broke eye contact with the government agent. "We haven't gone anything illegal, if that's what you're insinuating, Ma'am." Yuuto answered nervously.

"Oh, c'mon Beesh!" Zombina exclaimed jovially as she patted his back hard. "All this time by yourselves and you didn't do anything?! I find that hard to believe!"

While this was going on, the group saw that the homestays of the household were all enquiring Kimihito about his wellbeing, but the host insisted that he was fine. Papi and Suu took the chance to cuddle up to him from either side, much to the protests from Centorea who said to give their host some space.

"Well, either way, we're done here for now." Ms Smith spoke up as she pushed her sunglasses back into place and returned her attention to the blonde agent. "If you're ready Bishie-kun, let's pack up and move out. There's much work to be done, plus, Bravo has missed you dearly."

"Yeah, I can only imagine the chaos that's happened at the office while I've been gone." He replied with a hint of worry. He then separated himself from his girlfriend and turned his attention to his slime ward. "C'mon Vee, we need to pack up and get going."

"Aww, really?" The orange slime whined as she gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

"Yes, really. We can come by and see Papi and Suu another time."

"Okay…" She said dejectedly as she made his way to his side.

"Me Love, I will wait for ye here while ye gather yer possessions." Lala interjected to get his attention.

"Sure, I won't be long." He answered as he planted a kiss on her forehead before making his way upstairs with Zombina and Vee in tow.

As the trio went upstairs to pack up, Ms Smith turned her attention towards the dullahan and took her sunglasses off, giving the girl a look of concern. "I know Kazama likes to assure everyone that he's fine, but how is he doing, really?"

Lala was caught off guard by the sudden question from the government agent, but she quickly recomposed herself as she locked eyes with the human. "He may nay admit it, but me Love has been under a great deal o' stress as o' late, yet he shoulders the burden by himself fer he does nay want tae burden others with his misfortunes. I worry that the continued grievances will eventually be too much fer him tae handle alone…" She answered in a melancholy tone, obviously worried about Yuuto's current circumstances.

Kuroko sighed to herself and pinched the bridge of her nose as her own worries were confirmed. "I worried as much. That man's stubbornness will get the better of him someday if he doesn't open up more." She looked back up at the young reaper as she took a deep breath to recompose herself. "Alright, I know you'll get around to doing it anyway, but can I ask you to try and get him to open up about what's been bothering him lately? I'm going to need him at his best just in case another incident crops up in the near future."

Lala entered her reaper persona and place a hand in front of her face, locking eyes with the raven-haired woman through her fingers with a serious expression on her face. "You would think me a fool if ye think I'd ignore Yuuto's plight. I do nay wish tae seem him suffer more than he already has."

Ms Smith couldn't help but smirk at the Chuunihan's response. "As expected from a loving girlfriend. Just try to avoid anything that would go against the Exchange Bill, I don't want to see you two separated after everything that's happened up until now." She teased, causing the girl to flinch momentarily.

The reaper's persona faltered as her cheeks went bright red, and she soon broke eye contact with her boyfriend's superior. "D-D-Do nay doubt me resolve, Mortal. I-I am aware o' the laws o' this land." She stuttered nervously.

The government agent giggled to herself at the dullahan's reaction. "See to it that it stays that way."

Just as they were just about done with their conversation, they heard Yuuto, Zombina and Vee coming downstairs with everything the human and slime pair brought with them. It seemed like that blonde in question what trying desperately to defend himself against the zombie's accusations.

"C'mon Beesh! You two must've fondled each other at least while no one was looking!" The redhead exclaimed as she was snickering to herself.

"For the last time, Zee, we haven't done anything sexual!" Yuuto protested as his cheeks went red, though he wasn't about to admit he and Lala came close to doing something inappropriate on a couple of occasions.

"Your blush says otherwise." Zombina teased.

The human merely let out a groan of frustration as the zombie let out a gut-wrenching laugh.

"Ah, Bishie-kun. You ready to go?" Ms Smith asked in a cheerier mood as the group reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, but shouldn't we do something about helping Doppel out? Rachnee's not going to give her an easy time…" Yuuto replied, knowing full well the torment the doppelganger would be going through right now.

"Oh, she'll be fine for an hour or two. We can just come back for her later." The raven-haired agent replied as she waved a hand dismissively at him.

"…Right…" He answered in disbelief at his superior's decision. He then turned to face his girlfriend and gave her a warm smile. "Lala, I was just thinking, are you free at all on Saturday?"

The dullahan couldn't help but smile back at him as her own cheeks went red. "I can free meself from me duty as a Spectre o' Death fer a day if it is tae be with ye." She answered in a loving tone.

"Great, I was thinking we could go out on a date, seeing we haven't really had one since we've got together and all…" The MON operative replied in a slightly embarrassed tone as he rubbed the back of his head.

Lala couldn't quite believe what she had heard. After all this time and all the other dates he had to go on with his squad mates, she was finally getting her chance to spend the day with him all by themselves. The young reaper couldn't help but let a wide smile creep onto her lips as she almost jumped into his arms and wrap herself around him.

"I would happily accompany ye tae whatever realm you'd wish us tae uncover." She replied as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest.

"Good to hear, though you'll have to wait a few days, seeing I'll be back at work for a bit."

"I would wait for ye for all eternity, me Love." Lala replied as she looked up at him with loving eyes.

"Great. Well, I should get going now." Yuuto replied with a warm smile before he wrapped his arms around and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, which she happily reciprocated. "I love you."

"…I love ye too, Yuuto."

After a moment, the pair separated just as Kimihito and the other homestays came into the hallway to say their goodbyes. With that, the blonde agent along with Ms Smith and the rest of the small group left and made their way back home. Yuuto could only imagine how excited the other MON operatives would be to see him again after so long.

* * *

A few days had passed, and it was finally the blonde agent's day off. It was a bit of a trek to walk to Kimihito's place from where he lived, but he eventually found himself standing outside the Kurusu residence once more. He was wearing a red short-sleeved button-up shirt with a plain white T-shirt underneath, as well as some dark blue jeans and a pair of white trainers, not to mention his fingerless gloves. As he stood in front of the front door, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He didn't have any problems with his other dates, seeing he saw them more as plutonic outings with his co-workers, but he couldn't stop his heart from racing as he thought about finally taking his girlfriend out. They had gotten used to staying in and cuddling together, but now he felt under pressure to prove he could show her a good time. Once his nerves had calmed, he pressed the doorbell, which was soon followed by the chime. He waited patiently for a moment before the door opened to reveal Miia on the other side, who was wearing a black tank top which she wore under a pink long-sleeved button-up shirt and a black tight-fitting skirt.

"Hey, Yuuto-kun!" She exclaimed as she gave him a wide smile. "Please, come in. Your little Princess of Darkness is almost ready." The lamia teased as she made way for the MON agent to come inside.

"Thanks, Miia. How're things anyway?" Yuuto asked out of curiosity.

"Kinda hectic if I have to be honest." She answered as she rubbed the back of her neck behind her hair. "The girls and I didn't realise how much Darling did for us until he came back the other day. But get this! The others won't even let me into the kitchen to cook despite Darling not being able to!" She whined as she puffed up her cheeks in annoyance.

"…You do remember that you nearly poisoned me on my second day here, right?" The blonde asked as he furrowed his eyebrows at her.

"I didn't mean to!" She protested.

As they were talking, Kimihito came hobbling into the hallway from the living room on his crutch, with his left arm and right leg still bandaged and cast up. "Hey, Yuuto. How are you?" The host asked with a smile on his face.

"Not bad, better shape than you at least." Yuuto teased in response, which elicited a groan of annoyance from his friend.

"Darling!" Miia exclaimed with worry as she rushed to her host's side. "You're supposed to be resting right now! It's already going to take you forever to heal up as it is!" She continued as she grabbed a hold of his arm and wrapped the tip of her tail around his waist in an attempt to escort him back to the couch.

"Miia, I can't just sit around and do nothing all day…" Kimihito protested as he feebly tried to free himself from the lamia's grasp.

The redhead looked back at him with doe eyes and a worried look on her face as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "But, I just really want you to get better…" She whined as she practically begged him to do as she requested.

Yuuto couldn't help but chuckle at how the pair were acting, despite him being there. In his eyes, they definitely looked like that they'd make an adorable couple.

Just as the host was about to protest further, the trio heard someone start coming down the stairs, and they looked up to see Lala make her way down. She was wearing a sleeveless black blouse with a turtleneck, a plaid red skirt with the hem reaching halfway down her thighs, a pair of back knee socks and a pair of black short-heeled ankle boots, as well as a black handbag which was hung over her right shoulder. It was the same outfit she tried one when they were dragged out shopping with Hikari that one time and Yuuto couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at her as a warm smile crossed his lips and a red blush crept onto his cheeks. The young reaper spotted him and did the same as she quickened her pace downstairs.

"Hey Babe, you look amazing." He complimented her.

Lala quickly made it to the bottom of the stairs and rushed towards her boyfriend before she wrapped her arm around his neck and pressed herself against him, pulling his head down into a loving kiss, which the human happily reciprocated. Their lips stayed locked for a moment before the dullahan pulled back and looked back at him with loving eyes.

"I've missed ye, me Love." She said as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest.

"Likewise." He answered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Get a room, will you?" Miia teased from the sidelines with a smirk on her face.

Lala let out a groan of annoyance and she locked eyes with the lamia and tightened her grip on the MON operative.

Yuuto looked down at her and loosened his grip on her as she reluctantly did the same. "Anyway, you ready to go, Lala?"

"Aye, I am ready tae venture forth intae the unknown with ye." She replied as she wrapped her arms around his.

"Alright, then let's move."

"Okay, well I hope you have a good time." Kimihito called out just as they were about to make their leave. "Lala, call me when you're making your way back home, okay?"

The young reaper entered into her persona and placed a hand over her face. "The shadows come and go as they please, but I will warn ye o' me arrival back tae this plane." She answered in her typical chuunibyou manner.

"C'mon Darling, let the lovebirds have their fun already." Miia interjected as she started dragging her host back into the living room. "Have fun you two!" She exclaimed to the couple as she waved a hand at them.

The pair said their goodbyes and made their way out of the house.

They left the property and were soon making their way towards the nearest train station. As they continued to walk, Yuuto felt the need to divulge some information from the young dullahan. Despite being a couple for a few weeks now, they hadn't really got around to learning more about each other, and the MON operative wanted to change that.

"Say, Lala." He spoke up to get her attention. "I've been meaning to ask, you're from Ireland, right?"

The dullahan looked up and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Aye, but how did ye gleam this knowledge?"

"Well, most folklore I've found on dullahans seem to originate from Ireland, plus, your accent kind of gives it away." He answered as he smirked to himself.

The young reaper nodded at his assessment. "It is true that me kinsmen are originally from Ireland, but we can be found in all corners o' the mortal world, as well as on the other side."

"Makes sense. What part of Ireland are you from exactly?"

A smug look crossed her face as she placed a hand over her face. "I came intae existence by the will o' me family on the outskirt o' the human settlement o' Galway."

Yuuto quirked an eyebrow at her. "Galway? Like the one mentioned in that Ed Sheeran song?"

"Aye, it is a port city on the west coast o' me homeland."

The blonde couldn't stop himself from smirking as he tightened his grip on her hand. "Well, I guess that makes you my pretty little Galway Girl then."

Lala's cheeks went bright red and she lightly nudged his side with her elbow before returning him a loving smile. "Ye are fortunate that I am fond o' that song."

"Lucky me." He replied as he chuckled to himself.

"Me Love, I must inquire. What plane o' existence are we traversing tae this day?"

"Well, have you ever been to Akihabara?"

A look of confusion crossed the dullahan's face. "I canna say that I have. Why do ye ask?"

A wide grin quickly appeared on Yuuto's face at his girlfriend's response. "Well, you'll definitely be in for a treat today."

He wasn't about the ruin the surprise he had for Lala, despite her continued inquiry about their date, but he knew for certain that this would be a day to remember for both of them.

Close by, hidden out of view in a nearby alleyway, a shady-looking man, wearing a pair of tattered jeans and a scruffy hoodie to hide his face as keeping an eye on the pair. He pulled out a cheap-looking cell phone and quickly called his contact. He didn't wait long for a reply.

"What the situation?" The intimidating voice of a man answered.

"Boss, I found that Kazama guy you were looking for. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a scar on his right cheek, right?" He asked, hopeful that he found the right person.

"That's the bastard. What info have you got so far?"

"Seems like he's on his way to Akiba with some blue monster girlie. Think we'll be able to nab the guy in such a crowded place?"

The man couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine as he heard his superior let out a menacing chuckle from the other end of the call. "Down worry about that, we've got a plan in place. Just keep tabs on him, or would you like to find out what'll happen if you lose sight of him?"

"D-Don't worry, Boss." He answered with fear in his voice. "I won't lose him, I swear."

"Good. Now, see to it that you don't." With that, the man's contact ended the call and he pocketed his phone before he continued to tail the couple with a new sense of urgency.

For better or for worse, this will be a day that Yuuto will never be able to forget.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, anyone with a good memory will already know who the 'Boss' in question is. Next chapter will be the date proper, I promise, but there may be some trouble in the future for the loving couple.**

 **Anyway, hope you like the new chapter. Feel free to follow/favourite as always and drop a review or suggestions if you feel it's needed. Thank you for reading and I'll see you next time!**


	38. A day to remember (Part 2)

**A/N: Hey everyone, just to warn you in advance that this is a really long chapter. I was struggling to find a good cut off point, plus, you can consider this an extra treat for waiting so long for this chapter to come out. I Hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

It had taken some time, but eventually, Yuuto and Lala found themselves standing hand in hand outside of Akihabara Station and were greeted with the sight of tall buildings plastered with advertisements for anime merchandise, video games, maid cafes and the like. The street itself was crowded with humans and liminals alike, all looking to fritter away their hard-earn wages on whatever they desired. The young reaper couldn't help but stare in awe at what she saw, while the MON operative let a warm smile cross his lips at her reaction, which was akin to a child in a candy shop.

"Me Love, this place…" The dullahan trailed off as even she couldn't find the words to describe the joy she was feeling right now.

"Yeah, welcome to Akihabara, the otaku capital of the world, though most people just call it Akiba these days." He explained to his girlfriend. "You can find pretty much anything to do with anime and manga, video games, or anything to do with the otaku subculture."

"The realm o' Akiba. Truly, ye have shown me a world o' infinite possibilities. I canna even begin tae envision where tae start our journey in this most wondrous corner o' existence." She replied as she wrapped her arms around his own and pulled it to her chest to make sure she wouldn't lose him in the crowds.

"Well, there's a manga store nearby that I wanted to check out. Maybe you'll find something that'll catch your interest while we're there." Yuuto said as he started guiding them to their destination, though he quickly slipped his arm from her grasp and placed it on her back, placing his hand on top of her head. "It can get a bit hectic around here, so I don't want to risk you losing your head, alright?" He told her in a caring tone.

Lala smiled at him as she now wrapped her arms tightly around his chest from the side. "I do nay plan tae leave yer side anytime soon."

The blonde smiled back at her as he started escorting her to their first stop for the day, trying his best to navigate them through the bustling crowds.

* * *

They eventually arrived at the store in question, which was a manga store that was at least five stories tall. Lala's eyes lit up in wonder as they went in through the ground floor entrance, seeing shelves filled to the brim with manga of every genre, with many potential customers browsing the wares for their favourite titles. She looked up at her boyfriend with doe eyes as if pleading with him to go look around. Yuuto responded with a warm smile and a nod of his head, at which point the dullahan smiled back and went off to explore.

"Don't go too far, I'll get us a shopping basket." He called out, unsure that she even heard him.

Thankfully she hadn't wandered off too far as she was scanning one of the shelves near the entrance. The MON agent soon came back with a shopping basket and started looking through the shelves himself.

He stopped for a moment as he spotted a particularly popular series right now and picked up a copy to scan it over. "Neat, the new volume of My Hero Academia. Should be a good read." He muttered to himself as he placed it in the basket.

He just had a feeling that they might be stuck here for a while.

They soon found themselves on one of the upper levels of the building as they continued to browse the shelves for anything good. Yuuto was in the middle of looking through the available volumes of D-Fragment, though he hadn't been able to find a recent volume that he didn't already own. It was a shame that there weren't any recent updates to the series, seeing he was quite the fan of it.

"Hmm, maybe there's a new release for Seitokai Yakuindomo or Grand Blue Dreaming…" He muttered as he continued to browse the shelf.

He was soon interrupted as he felt someone tug at his sleeve. The human looked to his side to see Lala look up at him with a warm smile and reddened cheeks, clutching several books to her chest. He couldn't help but return a warm smile of his own at the adorable sight.

"Hey Babe, found anything good?" He asked as he turned to face his girlfriend.

The dullahan held out the books in question, showing them to be the first three volumes of Angels of Death. "Aye, these tomes have captured me attention."

"Go on, stick them in." He replied as he held up the basket for her, and she proceeded to place them in with the greatest of care.

"I hope ye do nay insist on procuring all these tomes fer me, I do have me own wealth tae make use of." Lala said as she moved to his side and wrapped her arms around his.

"Well, it is a date, and I'd like to treat you at some point." He answered as they started walking down the aisle.

"Then I suggest ye pause fer now and wait till we need to procure nourishment tae do so." She said to him with a sly smile on her face.

"Of course, you'd make me pay for the most expensive thing." He replied jokingly as he smirked back at her.

Suddenly the pair stopped and Yuuto looked to his side to see Lala glaring at a red curtain covering a section of the shop from public view. It had 'R-18' printed on it.

The blonde's cheeks went red as he glanced down at his girlfriend. "Lala are you really going to-" He was cut off as she started dragging him towards the curtain in question.

"Aye, I must uncover what is sealed away in this space." She replied with a hint of determination.

Before he could respond, they had made it through the curtain and found a single aisle with shelves running either side, filled to the brim with hentai manga and even some DVD's as well. Thankfully, they were the only people in this section right now, people would get suspicious if they found a human and liminal alone in such a place.

"I see this is where they have sealed away the forbidden tomes o' this world." Lala broke the silence as she looked around with slightly reddened cheeks.

"Well, it is the hentai section after all." Yuuto replied as his own cheeks went red.

After a moment of silence, the young reaper broke away from her boyfriend and started to examine the shelves and their contents. The blonde just merely stayed where he was, content with letting Lala explore at her leisure. He glanced to his right and saw some DVD's that stood out from the rest. He picked one up and examined the cover.

*Sigh* "Of course, they would have Bible Black of all things…" He muttered as he placed the case back where he found it.

He looked back down the aisle and found the dullahan standing in front of the shelves with a manga in hand. The MON agent smirked to himself as he made his way to her side once more, and found that she was frozen on the spot with her cheeks bright red. He peeked at the cover of the book and saw a picture of a nude woman covered in slime and tentacles with a lewd look on her face.

"Ah, I see you found the tentacle hentai then." He said as he looked back at her with a teasing look on his face.

Lala quickly slammed the book shut and hurriedly placed it back in its place on the shelf. "It seems some mortals have some strange tastes when it comes tae self-arousal…" She replied in an embarrassed tone.

"Not so much nowadays seeing that scylla are a thing."

"…I suppose I canna judge a mortal's preferences in sexual desires…" She said as she fidgeted with her fingers, trying not to overthink the matter.

As she glanced around the space, she spotted another manga that caught her attention. The young reaper made her way to where the book was, and Yuuto decided to follow her this time. He stopped right next to her as she picked up the book in question, the pair now examining the cover in great detail. It showed a young woman with long scarlet hair bent over with her buttocks in the air with a crimson scythe at her side, only wearing a pair of black high heels and scatterings of black ooze to cover her modesty. The couple just stared at the cover as both their cheeks went bright red.

"…Well, I should've known there'd be at least one with a grim reaper focus…" Yuuto said out loud as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

Lala still had an embarrassed look on her face as she silently placed the hentai doujin into their basket, earning a quizzical look from her boyfriend.

"…May I ask why you're getting it?"

The dullahan locked eyes with him for a short moment before breaking her gaze from him in a fit of embarrassment. "W-W-Well, if we are tae eventually combine our life essences, then we should prepare fer what is tae come as best we are able tae…" She answered as she fidgeted with her fingers once more.

The blonde couldn't help but smirk at her as he gently patted her head. "Hentai isn't exactly an accurate representation of actual sex, but I guess it's better than nothing."

Lala smiled back at him as she wrapped her arms around him from the side. "Then let us leave this space and obtain the treasures we have discovered. I wish tae see what the rest o' this realm has tae offer."

"No need to tell me twice." Yuuto answered as they started making their way back to the ground floor to purchase the manga they found.

Needless to say, the task of getting the hentai through checkout would prove to be an awkward experience for them both.

* * *

Sometime later the pair were strolling through the streets of Akiba once more with several shopping bags between them. Lala had the manga that they purchased earlier, and Yuuto was carrying a couple of video games that took his interest, as well as a figurine of Lisara Restall that the young reaper had insisted on getting. Coincidentally it was the same character that was portrayed on the cover of the hentai doujin that they found. As they continued to walk, the blonde suddenly heard a growling sound to his side. He saw his girlfriend wrap her arms over her stomach as her cheeks went bright red.

"Looks like someone's ready to eat." He said with a light chuckle.

"Aye, it seems I am in need o' sustenance…" She replied in an embarrassed tone.

As they were talking, they were confronted by a young woman with long black hair wearing a stylish black yukata top with a large red bow around her waist, a red gothic Lolita skirt with black frills reaching down to her knees and a pair of gothic studded high heel boots. She also seemed to be carrying several leaflets with her.

"Greetings, weary travellers!" She announced in a chuunibyou fashion as she placed a hand on her chest, startling the couple. "It seems you are in need of restoring your life forces. I may be able to assist you in this matter."

A confident smile soon appeared on Lala's face as she faced the girl and entered her reaper persona. "Aye, we have been traversing this plane fer some time and must ready ourselves fer the trials ahead." She replied as she placed a hand over her face.

Yuuto just stood there quietly, not wanting to get dragged into this little act in front of him.

"Well, you are in luck." The Lolita girl said as she handed a leaflet towards the dullahan, which she accepted. "I beseech you to make your way to Café Eclipse this very moment. They will gladly restore the two of you to fighting strength, and for a reasonable price as well."

The blonde looked over his girlfriend's shoulder as he looked over the leaflet she received. _"Great, a chuunibyou café…"_ He thought as he internally cringed at the offending item.

"I thank ye fer yer assistance." Lala answered as a smirk crossed her lips. "Tell me, how do we traverse tae this space?"

The girl pointed down a nearby side road overdramatically. "Head down that path and take the second right. There you shall find salvation."

"Ye have me eternal gratitude." The young reaper replied as she grabbed her boyfriend's wrist and started dragging him towards their new destination. "May the Fates smile upon ye."

"Hey, quit being so ruff, will you?!" Yuuto exclaimed in annoyance as he was dragged along.

"Farewell, brave souls! Tell them that Yumiko sent you down this path!" The Lolita girl shouted with a wide grin as she waved the couple off.

It only took them a couple of minutes to get there and they soon found themselves standing outside the establishment. The storefront didn't stand out much, apart from the large sign that had 'Café Eclipse' written on it in black gothic cursive writing. Lala was eager to make her way in, though Yuuto was less than enthusiastic about being dragged into such a place.

"This must be the place the guide mentioned. Let us make haste, me Love, fer I feel meself grow weaker by the minute." The dullahan said as she continued to drag her boyfriend by the wrist.

"Yeah, right behind you…" He replied in a barely audible mutter.

Normally he would avoid themed cafés like this one like the plague. The food and drink were normally overpriced for what they were, and it felt cringy for him to watch some teenage girl wearing some ridiculous outfit to 'cast' a magical spell on his food to make it taste better. Why bother when you expect the food to taste decent in the first place? He felt like he wanted to shoot himself to avoid the embarrassment of it all, but his girlfriend was obviously enjoying herself, and they hadn't even gone inside yet. The human couldn't bear to ruin her fun and decided to just roll with it. He survived worse.

As they entered the building, they found themselves in a typical café layout, with a large room filled with wooden tables and chairs, with a service counter to their left which was also made of wood, and the place even had wooden floors. The motif absolutely screamed Gothic Lolita, with pictures of dark and brooding artwork covering the walls, and all the waitresses wearing black and red frilly maid outfits. Yuuto noticed that at least two of the waitresses in question were in fact liminals.

One who was currently serving a table had feline ears covered in brown fur sticking out from the top of her head and a long slender furry tail sticking out from under her skirt. It appeared that she was a nekomimi. The other one, who was currently approaching them had blue skin and long raven hair which she had tied in a ponytail to the left side of her head and long bangs reaching down to her shoulders. Her eyes had brown irises and the sclera was as black as night. Like the rest of the staff, she was wearing a black and crimson frilly maid outfit with a frilly maid headdress of the same colour scheme.

The woman stopped in front of them and immediately took on a pose with one arm crossed over her midriff and a hand over her face, her fingers spread so she could lock eyes with the couple. "Greetings, Denizens of the Light. Do you seek to restore your life energy in this realm of shadows?" She asked in a chuunibyou fashion with what seemed to be a British accent. "You must have travelled far to reach this sanctum."

" _Okay, she's definitely a dullahan."_ Yuuto thought to himself, trying to keep a straight face.

The dullahan waitress continued as she struck another pose. "Fortunately for you, we are able to accept you into-"

"Ophelia."

Yuuto glanced to his side to see Lala smiling at the woman with a look of recognition on her face. The young reaper soon entered her persona once more and struck a pose of her own, placing a hand in front of her face. "It seems that the Fates have destined our reunion after so long, it is good tae see ye once more."

Ophelia paused as she looked over to the other dullahan, only just recognising her old friend as her eyes widened with realisation. "Lala!" She exclaimed as she bound forwards and took a hold of her free hand. "By the Gods, I didn't recognise you in those mortal garbs! Please, forgive me!" She continued with a wide smile on her face. "Tell me, how has the mortal realm treated you?"

Lala removed her hand from her face and placed it on top of her friend's hands still clutching at hers. "I have fared well, but I did nay realise that ye had come tae Japan also. How are ye faring?"

The waitress stepped back excitedly and immediately struck another pose. "I have found great comfort in this land thus far. My warden assisted me in acquiring this profession, and I have found much joy in it." She then glanced at Yuuto and quirked an eyebrow at him before looking back to her friend. "Tell me, Lala, is this mortal your warden perchance?"

The young reaper shook her head in response before she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's closest arm and rested her head on his shoulder. "Nay, this is me Love, Yuuto Kazama. We have forged a pact together recently and we have found great joy in this union." She said in a joyous tone before turning her attention to the blonde. "Yuuto, this is Ophelia. She and I have been allies o' darkness since our youth."

"Oh, neat." Yuuto replied before he turned to face the waitress and raised a hand towards her as he gave her a polite smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ophelia."

Ophelia just furrowed her eyebrows at him, not impressed by the gesture. "I see…" She replied flatly, brushing him off before returning to her persona to perform her duties, returning a confident smile to her friend. "Let us make haste, I believe there to be adequate space for you. Please, allow me to guide you to your respective space." She continued as she started to lead the couple to their table.

Yuuto glanced at Lala with a confused look on his face, to which she returned an apologetic look. "Ye must forgive her, she has trouble dealing with newcomers, so do nay take it personally."

"...Okay then…" The blonde responded as they started to follow Ophelia to their table.

The group made their way to a free table and the couple took their seats as the waitress handed them their menus. Ophelia seemed to act in a friendly enough manner towards her old friend, but the human couldn't shake the feeling of hostility he was getting from her as he started to look through the menu.

"Take your time in finding your preferred sustenance, I will return shortly with your refreshments." She announced as she went towards the front counter to get them some water. As she excused herself, she let a sinister grin cross her lips while no one was looking. _"I do not see what Lala sees in that mortal, but I will discover whether or not he is truly worthy of her affections. No one dares to make a pact with her without my consent."_ She thought to herself as she was about to set her plan into action.

Back at the table, the couple browsed through their menus, though Yuuto was having trouble coming to grips with the names of some of the dishes available. "Devil's Omelette, Abyssal Rice, Forbidden Tart…" He trailed off as he found a particularly peculiar dish name, which caused him to quirk an eyebrow at the offending item. "The hell's a Dark Nexus Offering?"

Lala glanced at the item on her own menu and smiled in confidence. "I believe it tae be some sort o' chocolate parfait fer two." She answered as her cheeks went red, imagining them romantically feeding each other the chocolaty delight.

The human's own cheeks started to go red as he let a warm smile cross his lips. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea." He replied as they locked eyes with one another and stared at each other lovingly.

They didn't wait long as Ophelia made her way back to them, holding a tray with a large jug of water and two glasses already filled with water. "Worry not, weary travellers. Your thirst will be sated shortly." She said in a dramatic fashion as she approached them.

As she reached the table, she placed the tray down and grabbed one of the filled glasses to hand over to the human. As Yuuto was about to reach out and grab it, Ophelia's hand twitched and the contents of the glass spilt all over the blonde agent. The waitress shot up straight and gave him an apologetic look while he sat there with a deadpan expression, not quite believing what just happened.

"My apologies, Mortal!" Ophelia exclaimed as she bowed her head at him as best she could without letting her head fall. "It is unforgivable of me to assault a visiting denizen in such a manner! Please, allow me to make amends!"

"No, it's alright!" Yuuto replied with a polite smile as he tried to reassure the dullahan waitress. "I'll just go dry myself off in the restroom. Where can I find it?"

She pointed towards the back of the café in a dramatic fashion. "Head towards the darkest corner of this space and you will find what you desire."

"Thanks." He said as he got up and headed towards the restroom.

"Will ye be alright, me Love?" Lala asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. This won't take long."

As the human left to sort himself out, a smirk appeared on the raven-haired dullahan's face as she pulled a cloth from her person and began to clean up the mess she had made. "It seems he is not easily flustered. I suppose it's a good start." She said out loud as she glanced towards her friend, though she was unnerved by the sight she was greeted with.

Lala stared back at the waitress with a look of annoyance as it appeared that she had a dark aura surrounding her. "Ophelia, what are ye playing at?" She asked in a menacing tone.

Ophelia shot up straight in a panic as she waved her hands apologetically at her. "I do not know what you speak of, it was merely an accident." She replied with a look of panic on her face, but her childhood friend wasn't falling for her innocent act.

"Do nay take me fer a fool, it is clear as day that ye do nay approve o' Yuuto." The young reaper said as she eyed her friend suspiciously.

The waitress moved to her friend's side and crouched down, so she was at eye level before speaking again in a hushed tone to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. "And why should I? All I see is a mortal who's been taken in by your beauty. He isn't even a Spectre of Death; your mother and father would surely disapprove."

"He is nay a mere mortal, and if ye knew what we have been through, then ye would understand why I love him so." Lala answered before giving the waitress a pleading look. "Please, all I request o' ye is tae give him a chance."

Ophelia's face dropped into a look of guilt as she took in what her friend had said. Ever since they were children the raven-haired dullahan had been very protective of Lala, only allowing those who were trustworthy in her eyes close enough to her friend. This human was an unknown to her, yet Lala seemed to trust him to no end. Ophelia had to make sure he was right for her, but she couldn't risk damaging her friendship with Lala. To that end, the waitress gave a warm smile and nodded at her friend.

"I shall give the mortal his chance to prove himself worthy in my eyes. Let us hope for your sake he does not squander it." With that, Ophelia stood up straight and returned to cleaning up the mess.

Lala returned a warm smile as her features softened. "Thank ye, Ophelia. Ye will nay regret this decision."

"Let us hope you are right…" The waitress muttered to herself.

Just as Ophelia was finishing up, Yuuto returned from his excursion to the restroom with his red button-up shirt buttoned up and his drenched white T-shirt slung over his shoulder. "I'm back." He announced to the pair.

The two dullahan women glanced at his direction and their cheeks immediately went bright red at the sight. Though his shirt was buttoned up, it had been partially soaked at the front and they could barely make out the outline of his toned abs as the material clung to his skin. A small smirk crossed Lala's lips as she imagined her boyfriend without his shirt on. Ophelia, on the other hand, had a look of shock on her face at the sight of the man.

"…Is everything alright?" The blonde questioned the two women.

The waitress shot to her feet and stomped her way towards him. "N-N-No! E-Everything is not alright, M-M-M-Mortal!" She stuttered in an angry tone before prodding a finger against his chest. "Y-You are practically exposing yourself to everyone in this space!"

The blonde looked down at where she was prodding him and noticed that the front of the shirt he was wearing was still slightly damp and clinging to him. His own cheeks went red and he took a step back as he raised his free arm to cover himself as best as he could. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realise it was that bad!" He exclaimed as he waved his arm still holding his damp T-shirt apologetically at the waitress.

Many of the staff and the other patrons took notice of the spectacle, though before it could get any worse, the nekomimi waitress they saw earlier came in to intervene. "Do not fret, honoured guest." She interjected with a polite smile on her face. "I can take your garb to be cleansed while you replenish your life force. It should be ready for when you leave this space." She added as she held out her hands to receive that clothing in question.

"Oh, thank you very much." Yuuto replied in an embarrassed tone as he handed over his shirt to the nekomimi.

"Think nothing of it." She responded before turning her attention to her co-worker. "You can calm yourself now, Ophelia. There is nothing to get troubled over."

"O-Of course. Thank you for aiding me…" The dullahan waitress replied in an apologetic tone.

"Do not worry yourself so." She answered before making her leave to get the human's shirt dried. "I hope you enjoy your stay here, honoured guest."

With the nekomimi gone, Yuuto made his way back to his seat as Ophelia kept a judging gaze on him to make sure he didn't try to stir up any more trouble. Lala just merely smirked to herself, finding the situation somewhat amusing.

"Me Love, ye always seem tae find a way tae stir things up." The young reaper said as she stared at her boyfriend lovingly with a warm smile on her face.

"Give a guy a break, will you?" He replied in an embarrassed tone. "It's not like I try to cause any trouble…"

Ophelia broke her gaze from the human and took a deep breath before pulling a pencil and notepad from her person to take their order. "I apologise for the disturbance, but are you ready to make your request?"

The blonde looked through the menu and struggled to make a decision. "Hmmm. I'm not sure what to have." He replied before looking up to speak to his girlfriend. "Anything caught your fancy, Babe?"

Lala smiled back at him before turning her attention to the waitress. "I would like tae request a Dark Nexus Offering fer the two o' us, please."

The raven-haired dullahan snapped the pencil she was holding in her hand in half as she gave the pair what seemed like an innocent smile, though in reality she wasn't the least bit pleased by the order her friend had requested for herself and the mortal she held affection for. "I see you like a challenge, old friend." She answered as she wrote down the order with what was left of her pencil while she struggled to keep her face from contorting into a grimace.

"Aye, but I will nay be facing this challenge alone." The young reaper replied in chuunibyou fashion as she pointed a finger towards her boyfriend overdramatically. "Me Love will aid me in this conquest."

Yuuto just gave a nervous smile, feeling Ophelia's glare on him. "Sure, I'd love to help…"

"Is that so?" The waitress asked, still trying to hold a polite smile, though the hostile intent radiating from her sent a shiver down the human's spine. "Be warned though, the Dark Nexus Offering will take all your willpower to conquer. I have seen it curse many a traveller."

"Then we shall see tae it that we overcome this trial." Lala interjected in a confident tone.

"Very well," Ophelia replied as she put away her notepad and left to get their order. "I ask you to be patient as we manifest the Offering from the void."

With the waitress gone, Yuuto was finally able to let out a sigh of relief before turning his attention to his girlfriend. "Babe? Is your friend always like this?"

Lala nodded in response with a resigned look on her face. "Aye, ever since we forged our alliance in our youth, Ophelia has been both possessive and protective o' me. She would keep those she did nay trust at arm's length o' me and she has continued tae do so in the years since. Please, do nay judge her fer that, fer she is only trying tae look out fer me best interests."

"Alright." He answered as he crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair with a pensive look on his face, breaking eye contact with her. "Seems like she's going to be hard work then."

The dullahan face dropped into a look of concern at how he was acting. "Yuuto, are ye truly well?"

The blonde glanced back at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I'm fine, so you can stop-"

"Nay, ye are far from fine." Lala interrupted as her voice took on a more serious tone. "It is obvious that something is troubling ye." She continued as she furrowed her eyebrows at the MON agent.

Yuuto leant forwards and rested his arms on the table as his face took on a serious look. "Lala, it's my problem to deal with, so you don't need to worry about-"

"Of course, I'd worry about ye!" The young reaper blurted out as she reached over to grasp his hands in hers and squeezed them comfortingly. "How do ye expect tae get better if ye continue tae bottle up yer feelings? I canna bare tae see ye suffer. Do ye nay trust me?" She asked as she gave him a pleading look, her eyes watering as she was on the verge of tears.

The human's eyes also started to water up as he smiled back at her and gave her hands a comforting squeeze in return. "Of course, I trust you. It's just that it's a very personal matter and I don't want to burden you with it."

"But it is something ye are struggling tae burden by yerself, me Love. Ye have been stressed out as o' late, and yer time spent caring fer meself and me fellow wards has nay helped in that matter. Can ye nay tell me what troubles ye so?" She asked, practically begging him to open up.

"…Lala…" Yuuto couldn't bear to see his precious girlfriend get upset like this, so he eventually relented and nodded at her, causing her to smile back at him. "It's just this whole situation with my dad. I hear nothing from him for five years, and then out of the blue he contacts me and pretends nothing's happened, and he even has the gall to try and bribe me with his own fucking katana. He really just pisses me off."

The young reaper quirked an eyebrow at him, not quite understanding the full situation. "What is it about yer father that bothers ye?"

"Well, as far as I know, my dad's side of the family has always been part of the Yakuza. It's part of the reason why my mom left him after a while." He started as he grasped tighter at her hands. "After she left, he became stricter with me and Hikari, to the point he'd lash out at us for not meeting his expectations. The asshole didn't treat us like his own children, but rather his own fucking legacy." Yuuto grew more flustered as tears started to roll down his cheeks. "Once I was old enough, I got myself and my sister out of that hell hole of a home and haven't spoken to him or our grandfather since. It was a struggle for a few years after we left, but we got through it, though not without some emotional trauma from that bastard."

Just as he was on the verge of breaking down, Lala leant forwards and freed a hand to wipe the tears from his cheeks with her thumb. He looked back at her to see a reassuring smile on her face.

"I am sorry tae hear that yerself and Hikari went through such an ordeal, but the two o' ye seem tae have come through stronger fer it. Ye both possess a strong force o' will, and it has aided both o' ye greatly in life so far. Please know that I'll always be there fer ye, whatever affliction may affect ye." The dullahan replied as she placed her hand on his cheek and caressed it as she looked into his eyes lovingly.

The blonde eventually smiled back at her and placed his free hand on top of hers. "Thank you, Lala. I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes."

"Do nay worry about such an event, I am here with ye now and always."

With that the pair's faces started to slowly edge towards each other, ready to plant a kiss on the other's lips, though they wouldn't be given the chance to enjoy the moment.

"Ahem!"

The couple were interrupted as Ophelia announced her arrival. They looked to see the waitress with a deadpan look on her face, holding a tray with large glass ice cream sundae bowl filled to the brim with chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup and even a wafer biscuit on top.

"I apologise for interrupting, but we have successfully pulled this offering from the Dark Nexus." She said in chuunibyou fashion as she placed the tempting dessert on the table between the pair, along with a pair of dessert spoons. "I hope it will meet your desires."

"Aye. Thank ye, Ophelia." Lala replied as she looked up at her friend and smiled at her.

The raven-haired dullahan smiled back as she overdramatically placed a hand in front of her face. "Think nothing of it, I am only fulfilling my duties here in this space."

Yuuto wasted no time as he picked up a spoon and dipped it into the chocolaty delight, pulling out a heaped spoon full of chocolate ice cream. "Damn, this looks great." He muttered to himself before locking eyes with his girlfriend. "Hey Babe, you want the first bite?" He asked as he held out the spoon towards her.

A look of anticipation appeared on the young reaper's face as she nodded at him. "Aye, I have waited an age tae indulge meself with this offering." She replied before she leant forward and opened her mouth to accept the treat. "Aaah~"

The MON agent smiled back at her as he started to edge the treat towards her. Ophelia was less than pleased as her conversation was brought to an abrupt end by the human's romantic gesture, and she felt the need to put him in his place.

"Cease your interruptions, Mortal!" The waitress exclaimed.

This caused Yuuto to flinch momentarily, which had also caused the ice cream to fall from the spoon. The dollop of chocolate ice cream missed Lala's mouth completely and it splattered onto her blouse, right on top of her chest. A look of surprise appeared on the young reaper's face as she felt the cold treat splatter against her, her cheeks now gone bright red in embarrassment. Yuuto's cheeks also went bright red in embarrassment while a look of worry crossed Ophelia's face as she crouched down at her friend's side.

"Lala are you alright?!" She exclaimed as she moved to grab a cloth from her person.

"Oh, my god! I'm so sorry, Lala!" The blonde exclaimed in an apologetic tone.

"It is alright, ye two." The white-haired dullahan replied in an attempt to get them to calm down "I am unharmed, so do nay fret. Though it seems me garbs in need o' cleansing…" She continued as she looked down at her now stained blouse with a look of disappointment as the remainder of the chocolate ice cream dropped from her chest and onto the table.

"Please, allow me to assist you in this matter."

The group looked to their side again as the nekomimi waitress from before arrived just in time to quell the chaos. "Miss, allow me to guide you to where your garbs can be cleansed of this accursed stain. We can provide you with something to protect your person in the meantime while we expel this stain from the Dark Nexus." She explained as she went to Lala's side and helped her to her feet.

"I thank ye fer yer offer. It is most appreciated." The young reaper replied as she stood to her feet.

The nekomimi nodded with a confident smile before turning to face her co-worker. "Ophelia, cleanse this stain while I see to our traveller here, and please try to refrain from causing any further misfortune while I am gone." She said with a teasing grin on her face.

The raven-haired dullahan gave a look of guilt as she nodded apologetically at the nekomimi. "Of course, thank you for assisting me in my time of need, Rebecca."

"It is no trouble." Rebecca replied as she left with Lala to go get her cleaned up.

Yuuto and Ophelia were left together as the waitress began to clean up the chocolate ice cream as best she could. "To think you would assault your loved one in such a manner, it is disgusting." She said out loud in an irritated tone.

The human's eye twitched in annoyance as he locked eyes with the waitress. "It was an accident, and besides, it wouldn't have happened if you didn't spook me like that." He replied as he tried to hold his temper.

"Then you obviously do not have the nerve to stand by her then, Mortal." Ophelia answered as she stood up straight and stared back at him with a disapproving look on her face. "You should cut your losses and allow her to-"

"That's enough." He interrupted in a stern tone, causing the waitress to look back at him in surprise. "You might not like me, but Lala and I are trying to have a nice date, and the two of us bickering like this will only end up ruining it for her. Is that what you want?"

The waitress went silent for a moment as a look of realisation of what she was doing crossed her face, looking like she was ready to break down. "I, I didn't mean to-"

"I know, you're just looking out for her, just like I am." He interjected as his features softened. "Let's just agree to disagree and leave it at that for now. You're free to dislike me all you want, but I just want to make Lala happy at the end of the day."

Ophelia managed to calm herself down and nodded to his proposal. "Very well, I will agree upon this truce for now," She started as she pointed a finger at him dramatically. "but know this. If you so much as cause her the slightest bit of distress, then you shall know a fate worse than-"

"I have returned." Lala announced as she returned to the table.

Yuuto and Ophelia turned to face her and saw that she was now wearing a similar top to what all the waitresses were wearing. She was also wearing a frilly choker like the one her friend was wearing to keep her head from toppling from her neck easily. The human's cheeks went bright red upon seeing her, and Ophelia was impressed with how well her friend wore it.

"It is fitting of a Spectre of Death such as yourself." The waitress complimented in true chuunibyou fashion.

"I'll say." The blonde added as a smile crept onto his lips. "You look great in that."

Lala blushed and broke eye contact with them as she took her seat, but she couldn't hide the smile that was curling onto her lips. "Thank ye, I am glad ye both approve o' it…" She replied in an embarrassed tone before turning to face the pair once more. "Has there been any trouble during me absence?"

"Oh, of course not! No trouble here!" Yuuto blurted out with a nervous smile as he tried to reassure her that everything was alright.

"The mortal speaks the truth." Ophelia added overdramatically. "He and I have come to some sort of agreement, for the time being, so you have nothing to fret over."

"That is good tae hear. Thank ye."

The waitress smirked to herself, happy with her answer. "There seems to be no imminent peril at this time, so I shall make my leave." She announced as she started to leave their table.

Unbeknownst to the raven-haired dullahan, she had dropped her cloth during her time bickering with the human. As she moved off she caught her feet on it and tripped. As her body began to fall forwards her head was flung from her shoulders and the girl let out a yelp of surprise.

"Ophelia!" Lala yelled with worry.

In an instant, Yuuto launched himself from his seat and dove underneath the waitress. He stretched his arms out as far as he could and was just barely able to catch her head in his hands. The human landed on his back as the dullahan's body landed on top of him as he managed to keep her head from touching the ground. Ophelia opened her eyes to see the blonde grinning at her with her body splayed on top of him.

"You should be more careful, don't want to make a regular habit of being saved by a mortal now, do you?" He asked jokingly in an attempt to help ease her tension.

Ophelia struggled to find the words to respond with as she stared in awe of him with reddened cheeks. Her head broke eye contact with him after a moment as her body hurriedly got off of him and started waving her hands apologetically at the human. Yuuto sat himself up and handed the girl's head back to her body, who in turn placed it back on her neck, making sure it was on right. As she did so, she couldn't help but think that this mortal just might be more reliable than she had initially expected.

"Hey, Ophelia. You okay there?" Yuuto asked in a more concerned tone this time, worried she might've hurt herself.

The raven-haired dullahan stared back at him for a moment before breaking his gaze once more. "I-I-I am fine. It seems I owe you a great debt…" She trailed off in an embarrassed tone.

"Hey, don't worry about it." He replied as he stood up and offered her a hand. "You need a hand?"

Ophelia shot up to her feet and quickly brushed herself down before she entered her persona once more. "I-I do not require your assistance, but I appreciate the offer. Now, if you'll excuse me…" She answered as she gave him a curt nod and began to make her leave once more.

"Ophelia are ye truly unharmed?" Lala asked in a worried tone from her seat.

"I have survived worse, old friend. Please, cease your fretting and enjoy yourself." The waitress replied without looking back as she returned to her duties.

The young reaper smiled to herself, happy that her friend hadn't caused harm to her person. Yuuto returned to his seat and let out a sigh as he tried his best to relax once more.

"Never a dull moment around you, is there?" The blonde asked jokingly as he smirked at his girlfriend and gave her a wink.

The dullahan locked eyes with him and returned a smirk of her own. "Ye seem tae be correct in yer assumptions, though I must thank ye fer looking out fer Ophelia, despite her difficult personality."

"Hey, I would've done the same for anyone."

Lala gave him a warm smile before she picked up a spoon and dipped it into the chocolate parfait. "Let us make haste, I do nay wish tae let this offering go tae waste."

Yuuto returned the warm smile and did the same. "That's the best idea you've had all day, Babe."

As the couple began to dig into their dessert, Ophelia went back to ferrying orders to the other customers. She would occasionally take quick glances at the couple, seeing them happily chatting and feeding one another. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of her friend enjoying herself.

" _It seems I can trust that mortal to protect Lala after all. I hope that he doesn't prove me wrong."_ She thought to herself idly as she went about her business.

The pair had finished their treat and went up to the till to pay for their order. Ophelia accepted the human's payment and gave him his change. Yuuto noticed that the waitress was acting friendlier towards him now, though in a slightly meek manner as opposed to her overconfidence from before. Lala and Ophelia took some time to exchange phone numbers, and Rebecca came back with the couple's T-shirt and blouse, now fresh and clean. They quickly got changed back into their clean clothes and made their leave, waving at the two liminal waitresses as they did.

* * *

They were back on the streets of Akiba with their purchases and Yuuto took his girlfriend's hand as he started leading them to their next destination. Lala gave him a questioning look as she noticed that he was acting slightly more eager than he usually did.

"Me Love, have ye already planned fer where we are heading tae next?"

The blonde looked back at her and gave her a cheeky grin. "Oh, I think you'll enjoy our next stop." He replied in a mischievous tone before looking ahead of them once more as he guided them through the crowds.

The young reaper smiled back at him as she quickened her pace to match his. "Then let us hurry."

Yuuto pulled out his phone and opened up the map function as he looked through it to find their destination. He then guided them down a narrow road and walked for a few minutes. The dullahan looked around and noticed that the surrounding building had none of the usual advertising that could be seen on the main streets. After a while, the pair stopped outside one of the buildings and the MON agent put his phone away.

"Well, this looks like the place." Yuuto said as he looked up at the sign.

Lala did the same and she saw that the sign had 'Hotel Release' written on it, earning a confused look from her. "Yuuto, what is this place?"

He glanced back at her as his cheeks went bright red. "Well, I know you've been thinking about us doing 'It' a lot lately, so, I thought that we could, well, if you wanted too…" He trailed off in an embarrassed tone as he started to rub the back of his head nervously.

Her eyes widened in realisation as she understood what her boyfriend was talking about. "I know I have, but would we be risking a great deal just fer a short moment o' bliss? What if some mortal caught us?" She asked in a worried tone, and understandably so.

The blonde smiled back at her. "Don't worry, there's practically no one here, plus, there's someone I know inside who'll keep this a secret for us. But I'll only do this if you really want to, I don't want to force you into doing anything you don't want to do." He answered in a more confident tone now.

Lala's cheeks flushed red as she smiled back at him. "Of course, I want us tae combine our life energies. Can this acquaintance be trusted though?"

"Of course, she can."

Her face brightened as she wrapped her arm around his. "Then let us nay waste time out here."

Yuuto nodded back at her, and with that, the pair made their way into the love hotel. As they entered, they were greeted with the sight of a small lobby decorated in a purple and pink colour scheme with the counter to their left. Standing behind the counter was a woman with pale skin, green eyes and long brown hair wearing a white long-sleeved button-up with a black waistcoat on top and black work trousers. She looked towards the pair with a polite smile as they made their way towards the counter.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to Hotel Release. How can I help you today?" She asked in a professional manner, seemingly unphased that a human and liminal couple have come into the establishment.

"Yeah, can we book a room for a couple of hours, please?" The blonde replied as they reached the counter. "You got anything that's Gothic themed at all?"

"We certainly do, and I have just the room for you. I'll just sort out the key for you before we process the payment." She answered with a nod. "And just so you know, we have a strict customer confidentiality policy here, so don't worry about us spilling the beans on you and your girlfriend here."

"Greatly appreciated, thanks." Yuuto answered before turning to his girlfriend. "Lala, you can go sit down for a sec while I sort this out."

The dullahan looked up and smiled at him lovingly. "As ye wish, me Love, and thank ye fer doing this." She answered before she pecked him on the cheek and went to sit down on the nearby couch.

He smiled back at her just as the hotel employee came back with the key. "Here you are, Sir. Now, if you would like to make the payment, please." She spoke up as she got the card reader out.

The MON agent nodded and got his card out of his wallet. As he placed it into the reader, he looked up at the woman and noticed that her eyes had turned amber with her sclera now black and her fringe had turned white. She stood there smirking at him as she crossed her arms under her chest and rested them on the countertop.

"Took your sweet time getting here, Romeo." Doppel said in a snarky tone, low enough so that the young reaper couldn't hear her.

Yuuto smirked back at her as he leaned in closer to the disguised doppelganger. "Consider it extra prep time for you, and thanks for doing this for us. How did you even get in here?" He said in an equally low tone.

Doppel gave her co-worker a mischievous grin. "Let's just say I have an acquaintance here that was in desperate need of a day off."

"Lucky us then." He replied just as his card payment went through.

With that, they both stood up straight and she handed the key over to the human. "Yeah, guess that makes us even now. I better get some juicy details of this little escapade of yours out of this."

*Sigh* "It's the least I can do, I guess. Anyway, thanks again, Doppel." Yuuto said as he left the counter.

Doppel fully changed back into her disguise as she gave him a polite smile once more. "You're welcome, Sir. Enjoy your stay."

As Yuuto made his way to Lala, she stood up with the rest of their purchases and quickly moved to his side. "Yuuto, is everything alright?" She asked, curious about his discussion with the employee.

"Yeah, everything's alright, so there's nothing for us to worry about." He replied in a confident tone as he looked down at her with loving eyes.

She smiled back at him lovingly as her cheeks went bright red, gleeful of the fact of what they were about to do behind the government's back. "Then let us hurry, our destiny awaits."

The pair wasted no time and quickly made their way inside the elevator and pressed the button for the second floor, soon followed by the doors closing in front of them.

They soon found the room they were staying in and the human opened the door as quickly as he could. He allowed Lala to step in first and followed suit before he shut the door behind them. They saw that the room had everything they needed. It was decorated in a black and grey colour scheme with a black wooden bed covered in black bed sheets, as well as two black wooden bedside tables, one at each side, one of which had a bottle of lubricant, while the other had several packs of condoms on top. The curtains that framed the window were dark grey and had frills at the bottom. The room even had an on-suite bathroom for convenience. Lala stared in awe as she inspected the room thoroughly while Yuuto placed the bags he was carrying to the side of the room.

"Like what you see, Babe?" He asked with a smirk on his face, but he already knew her answer if the look of awe on her face was any indication.

"Aye, it is perfect." She replied as she smiled back at him.

The dullahan dropped her bags off with the rest of their belongings and took her ankle boots off before making her way to the bed. She sat at the edge of the bed and looked up at her boyfriend expectantly as she patted a hand to the side of her, eager to feel his touch. Yuuto chuckled to himself before giving in to her silent request, quickly taking off his trainers and making his way to her before sitting himself right next to her. He rested an arm on the bed right behind the young reaper as she placed a hand on his leg, the pair now looking into each other's eyes longingly.

"Me Love, ye have nay idea how overjoyed I am right now that we are about tae truly become one." She said as she started to slowly caress his thigh.

The blonde smirked back at her as he edged himself as close as possible to her. "Hey, you're not the only one who wants this you know. It's hard to resist temptation when I've got such a loving girlfriend constantly begging for attention."

"Aye, I believe it is time I truly thanked ye fer everything ye have done fer me."

The pair soon leaned into each other and locked their lips together. They turned to face each other properly, now pressing their chests together. Lala raised her arms and placed them on his chest, her hands eagerly grasping at his shirt, while Yuuto wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer into his embrace. Their lips continued to gloss against one another as the young reaper would occasionally let out quiet moans of pleasure. After a moment, they broke the kiss as they paused to catch their breath, but the dullahan took the initiative and straddled his waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck and without hesitation, pressed her lips to his once more. The human was just as eager, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist as her hips started bucking against his manhood. He answered in kind as he started thrusting against her, the pair now driving their tongues into the other's mouth as they finally mutually gave in to their desires. Lala's moans slowly grew louder and more frequent as she felt her boyfriend continually grind his crotch against her flower, the growing stimulation egging her on towards sexual bliss. She broke the kiss once more and pressed her forehead against his as they both started to pant loudly, their eyes locked with the others as they stared at each other lustfully.

"Ah~ Yuuto, I need ye~" She said pleadingly as she let out a series of pleasurable moans.

"Don't worry, Lala, you won't have to wait much longer." He answered in between barely audible grunts, unable to hold back against the young reapers continual thrusting.

The pair eventually started to slow their grinding to a halt as they lightly peppered each other with loving kisses, taking a moment to recuperate themselves. They soon stopped as they stared at each other once more with mischievous glints in their eyes. The dullahan smirked at him before she moved her hands to his chest and shoved him onto his back, keeping herself upright as she stared at him lustfully, slowly grinding her hips against him once more. The human stayed as he was and smirked back at her as he enjoyed the attention he was receiving. Whilst she was distracted by the pleasure coursing through her entire being, the blonde raised a hand and placed it on her cheek, caressing it gently with his thumb. The young reaper turned her head to the side slightly and took the appendage into her mouth, wrapping her tongue around it and sucking on it sensually. The slurping sounds she was making drove him crazy to no end. Eventually, he pulled his thumb free, much to the disappointment of his girlfriend, and continued to gently caress her cheek with the now slimy appendage. Lala stared down lovingly at him again as she slowed her grinding to a halt once more.

"Me Love, there is something I wish tae confirm while I have ye like this." She said to him as she let a mischievous smirk cross her lips.

"Oh, and what would that be?" He asked as he gave her a cheeky grin.

She stayed silent as she slid a hand under his shirt and traced her fingers over his abdominal muscles. She bit at her bottom lip sensually as she glided over every inch of the taut muscles underneath, enjoying the feeling of them against her soft skin. She gently grazed her fingernails over them, causing the human to let out a hushed grunt of pleasure.

"I did nay realise that ye were so well toned." She spoke up as her already reddened cheeks took on a brighter shade of red.

"What did you expect?" Yuuto asked as he quirked an eyebrow at her while smirking back at her. "I'm the captain of a spec ops squad, I have to keep myself in shape. Hell, Blare sees to that on a daily basis." He added with a slight chuckle.

Lala smirked back at him once more as she removed her hand from under his shirt and started gently gliding it towards his nether regions. Yuuto looked up in anticipation, eager to feel the touch of her bare skin against his shaft.

Just as the young reaper placed a hand on his jeans to undo the button and zip, she had a flashback, back from the night of the moon's accursed phase. She remembered looking down at him as he desperately tried to hold her back, the human she loved looking up at her with tear-stained eyes, pleading her to stop.

" _Lala… we can't… not like this…"_

Those words he spoke on that accursed night rang through her very being, her eyes widened as she was forced to remember the very moment she nearly defiled him against his will. Yuuto looked up at her from his position on the bed with a look of concern.

"Lala?" He asked in a worried tone.

Tears started to trickle down her cheeks as she was forced to replay the memory in her mind. The way she forced him down onto the ground, the way she pinned him under her and took advantage of him, how he struggled to put a stop to her selfish lust-fuelled actions as she continued to take advantage of his position. If not for his sheer force of will and his determination, neither of them would be here today.

After a moment of being stuck in her trance, she pulled his hand from her cheek and got off of the human, sitting at the edge of the bed once more as she covered her face with her hands and started sobbing to herself. The MON agent wasted no time as he sat himself up straight and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Yuuto asked in a caring tone, wanting to be there for her.

Lala continued to sob into her hands for a moment before she calmed herself slightly, balling her hands into fists just under her chin. "I'm sorry, me Love. I was reminded o' that accursed night when I nearly took ye against yer will. The more I think about it, the more I feel that I do nay deserve ye after what I put ye through…" She trailed off as she placed her face in her hands and started sobbing once more.

"…Hey, come here." He answered in a low and gentle tone as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a gentle hug, resting a hand on the back of her head as he gently stroked her hair comfortingly. "There's no need for you to feel like that. Neither of us was fully in control of what we were doing, so don't be so hard on yourself."

Her sobs started to die down slightly as she relaxed into his embrace. "…Yuuto… I do nay think I am ready…" She spoke in between her sobs.

Yuuto smiled warmly at her as he tightened his arms around her. "It's okay, we don't have to rush into anything."

The young reaper removed her hands from her face and looked up at him with widened tear-stained eyes. "But, ye went through the effort o' making this moment fer us." She replied, feeling guilty about ruining the moment for them.

"Don't worry about that. It doesn't have to be today, because I'll wait for you for however long it takes." He replied as he locked eyes with her and placed a hand on her cheek once more. "Like I told you before, I'm not going anywhere."

Lala smiled back at him with tears still trickling down her face and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips, pulling back as she stared at him lovingly. "Ye truly are an incredible soul, Yuuto. I love ye so much." She answered as she wrapped her arms tight around him and pressed her cheek against his chest, nuzzling up against him affectionately.

"…I love you too…" He replied as he started to stroke her hair once more.

The pair stayed like this for a moment before the dullahan pulled herself free from the embrace and got off of the bed, earning a confused look from her boyfriend. "Do nay worry, me Love. Make yerself comfortable while I find us a tome tae gleam through." She said with a warm smile on her face.

"Alright then." Yuuto answered as he moved himself up the bed and rested his back against the headrest. "So, what did you have in mind?"

She pulled a book from one of the bags before turning around to face him, holding the hentai doujin in front of her mouth as her cheeks went bright red. "Seeing that we will nay be combining our life energies today, I thought that we could glean knowledge from this particular tome tae prepare ourselves fer when we eventually do so…" She answered in an embarrassed tone.

The blonde quirked an eyebrow at her momentarily before he started chuckling to himself for a moment, much to the dullahan's annoyance. "I told you those doujins aren't exactly accurate depictions of actual sex."

"…But like ye said, they are better than nothing…"

He calmed himself down as he looked up at her with a cheeky grin. "Alright, fine. Get your adorable butt over here and let's get to reading." The human said as he patted a hand on a spot on the bed right next to him. "Guess we have plenty of time to study at least."

Lala gave him a warm smile as she got onto the bed and sat right next to him, nestling herself into his side as she lay her legs over his. Yuuto wrapped an arm around the back of her neck as she rested her head against his shoulder. Once they were comfy, the young reaper held up the book in front of them and opened it up. Upon seeing its contents, her eyes widened in shock upon seeing a particularly graphic page. The blonde merely smirked at her reaction.

"You know, these doujins do tend to get a little graphic."

"…Aye, it seems so. At least we will be well-prepared fer when the time comes…" She replied in an embarrassed tone.

He chuckled to himself as they continued to scour the tome for its knowledge, though he did fear that it would be a bad influence on his loving girlfriend. Though in the end, they would both benefit from it.

* * *

Their time was up, and they were back in the lobby as the human returned the key to the employee stationed behind the counter. As he did so, the woman revealed her golden eyes and white fringe once more as she smirked up at him.

"So, how did it go, Romeo?" Doppel questioned as she gave him a mischievous grin. "Bet the two of you must be exhausted from all that built up sexual tension."

Yuuto's cheeks went red as he broke eye contact with the doppelganger. "Well, that's the thing. We didn't end up doing 'It' in the end…"

Her eyes widened in surprise before quickly furrowing her eyebrows in annoyance. "Are you kidding me?!" She exclaimed in a hushed tone as to avoid grabbing the dullahan's attention. "Did I seriously go through all that for nothing?!"

The blonde smiled back at her as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Sorry, but I guess neither of us were quite ready for it."

Doppel pouted to herself as she broke eye contact with him. "Well, I can't force the two of you to fuck each other's brains out, but to say I'm a little disappointed is a major understatement…"

"I know, but thanks for helping us out regardless."

She couldn't help but smirk back at him teasingly. "Whatever, but just so you know, you're on your own next time."

Yuuto chuckled to himself. "Figured as much. Anyway, thanks again." He said as he left the counter and waved at her.

The doppelganger resumed her disguise as she waved back at him and gave him a polite smile. "Your welcome, Sir. Please do come again."

With that, Yuuto made his way to his girlfriend, who promptly wrapped her arms around him before the pair walked out of the building. As they started walking down the narrow road though, the suspicious man from before who was hidden by the side of the building pulled out his phone and made a call. It didn't take long for it to be answered.

"…"

"Yeah, it's me. The target's heading your way right now. Get your asses into gear."

"…"

With that, the call ended, and the man started following the couple from behind, making sure to keep his distance. He wanted to make sure that they caught his target, otherwise, he'd face the consequences.

The couple spent the next few minutes strolling down one of the quieter streets in Akihabara, taking their time heading back to the station as they took the time to enjoy each other's company. Lala had a bright smile on her face as she gently nuzzled her cheek against her boyfriend's shoulder. Yuuto just smirked to himself, happy that his girlfriend had enjoyed herself today.

"So, did you enjoy your day out?" He asked, knowing full well what her answer was already.

"Aye, it has been an age since I was able tae enjoy meself like that, and I have ye tae thank fer it." She replied as she tightened her grip on his arm.

"No problem, but I have to admit that meeting your friend was quite the experience." He said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I am sure ye will come tae like her in due time, but I canna deny that she can be difficult tae handle at the best o' times."

"Well, that's an understatement…" He replied unenthusiastically.

Lala giggled to herself at his reaction and nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder lovingly. The pair continued to walk in silence until they heard a rattling sound ahead of them. They didn't see anything out of the ordinary but as they moved forwards the rattling got louder.

"Babe? You hear that rattling, right?" He asked with a questioning look on his face.

"Aye, but I canna fathom what could be making such a sound." She answered with a quizzical look of her own.

"HELP! SOMEONE! ANYONE!"

They heard the shrill voice of a young woman coming from where they heard the rattling sound. In an instant, Yuuto dropped what he was holding and rushed towards the entrance of a nearby alleyway, stopping by the edge of the entrance so he could peer around the corner while staying hidden. Lala followed behind him and took her head off her shoulders, so she could do the same. They both saw two scruffy looking men wearing hoodies and jeans, and they seemed to have cornered a young liminal woman. The woman in question appeared to be some form of lamia with shoulder-length green hair and blue slit eyes, wearing a black tank top, a grey hoodie and a blue denim skirt. Yuuto noticed that the girl's arms were covered in green scales of differing shades, and like her tail, they had a dark dirty green diamond pattern going down them, similar to that of a Mojave green rattlesnake. She also had a large rattler at the tip of her tail, and he could also barely notice a pair of fangs protruding from her mouth. It was obvious to the human now that the woman was an echidna.

"Quit your screaming, girlie. We promise we won't hurt you if you let us have a little fun." One of the thugs said in a lecherous tone as he moved towards her holding a knife in his hand.

"Yeah, we're just looking for a good time is all." The other thug added as he pulled a taser from his back pocket.

"BACK OFF! I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU!" The echidna screamed in a panicked tone as the rattling from her tail grew louder, pressing her back against the wall with nowhere else to go.

"Shit, we've got to do something." The MON agent muttered to himself in a low tone before turning to face his girlfriend. "Lala, I need to go find some help right now. I'll hold them off as best I can."

"But me Love, ye are unharmed." She replied in a worried tone.

"I'll be fine, just go."

Lala placed her head back on her shoulders and nodded at him before turning around to find another man wearing a pair of tattered jeans and a scruffy hoodie right behind them. The dullahan froze in shock just as Yuuto noticed the man himself.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The man said as he held his hands up apologetically. "What exactly is going on?"

"There's a liminal woman in trouble. The two men assaulting her seem tae be armed." The young reaper explained.

"Damn bastards." The man uttered to himself in annoyance. "Alright, I'll help your boyfriend deal with them, you go and get the police. You got that?"

"Aye, and thank ye." She replied with a nod before making her way back to the main street. "Stay safe, both o' ye."

"Will do." The blonde answered before turning his attention to the newcomer. "C'mon, let's go."

"Right."

Back in the alleyway, the two thugs were slowly closing in on the echidna with their weapons raised. The girl was cowering against the wall, fearing what the two humans would do to her. The thug with the taser was about to reach out to grab her but was interrupted as he felt a fist collide with the side of his face. Yuuto had charged in and sent his fist flying towards the thug, sending the man toppling to the ground as he lost his grip on the taser. The echidna looked up at the blonde, her face in awe of the man that just saved her.

"What the hell?!" The other thug with the knife exclaimed in shock.

The passer-by that had accompanied the MON agent had picked up a loose brick from nearby and hurled it at the man, knocking his weapon from his hand as the man gripped at his now bleeding hand in agony.

"Hey! I suggest you back off from the lady before you end up in a world of hurt!" Yuuto shouted as he took up a fighting stance, the man accompanying him picking up another brick to fight with.

The echidna shook herself from her stupor and slithered herself behind the blonde as fast as she could, hiding right behind him for protection. "Thank you for coming! I'm sorry for dragging you into this!" She exclaimed in an apologetic tone.

"Don't worry." Yuuto answered as he glanced back at her with a smirk. "Are you hurt?"

The girl shook her head in response.

"Good." He answered before turning back to the thugs. "Now, I suggest you surrender and come in quietly. I don't want to beat you up any more than I already have." He said to them in a threatening tone as he raised his fists.

Both of the thugs had gotten back up on their feet at this point, though instead of shouting abuse like the blonde had expected, the two men merely smirked at him. A look of confusion crossed the MON agent's face as the echidna hung her head low behind him. The passer-by now had a smirk on his face too as he slowly approached the blonde from behind, holding the brick he had picked up above his head. Before he could do anything, the girl had shot the tip of her tail forwards and wrapped it tightly around Yuuto's neck. The blonde looked back in shock as the coil tightened around his neck and had started to lift him up with ease. He was now struggling to pull himself free as the woman's rattler started to rattle loudly right next to him. He was struggling for breath as he saw that the echidna still had her head hung low, but he could just barely hear what she had said.

"…I'm sorry…"

With that, Yuuto started to black out, and he was soon unconscious as his arms hung limply at his sides. The girl lowered him onto the ground before removing her tail from his neck, her head still hung low in shame.

"Now bad, for a scaly bitch that is." The passer-by said as he knelt down next to their target and placed his fingers against his jugular, trying to find a pulse. "…Good, he's still alive. The boss will be happy."

"And here I thought you were gonna smash his head in with that brick." One of the thugs said out loud.

"Thankfully I didn't need to." He replied before turning to face the echidna. "Good work, Roxanne. You even had me believing you were all sweet and innocent with that act." He said to her with a sinister grin.

"…I did what I had to…" She replied, not wanting to look him in the eye.

"We all did. Now, let's get him in the van before someone shows up, pronto."

The two thugs nodded and went to pick the MON agent up, now carrying him towards the other end of the alleyway with the man and Roxanne following close behind. The group had soon disappeared from sight, vanishing with Yuuto without a trace.

Lala was running back to where she last saw her boyfriend with a police officer holding a bicycle to his side following close behind. "They should be close by!" The dullahan exclaimed with worry.

"Are you sure, Miss?! I should go get some backup!" The officer shouted back as he started to tire.

"There is nay time fer that! Me Love is in danger!"

They soon rounded the corner where the tussle was taking place, but they arrived to find the alleyway now void of life. Lala looked around in a panic, trying to find any sight of her boyfriend.

"Me Love?! Where are ye?!" She shouted as she started to lose her composure.

The bicycle cop propped his bike up against the wall and quickly scanned the area. "It looks like there was a fight here, but it looks like there's no one here now."

Lala noticed a pool of blood and knelt down next to it as her eyes widened in shock. Dread filled her mind as she imagined the worst-case scenario.

"YUUTOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

 **A/N: So, yeah. A lot has happened in this chapter, I just hope it wasn't too much for you to digest in one go.**

 **First off, some of you will have noticed that I've given Lala a slightly perverse personality, well, when it comes to Yuuto at least. She hasn't had too much development in the main series compared to the other homestays, and I wanted her to be a bit more than some 'Chuunibyou Chick', so to that end, I thought that I could have some fun with her and have her drag Yuuto into embarrassing situations.**

 **Next up is Ophelia. I felt like needed some sort of childhood friend, seeing she's become a prominent character in this story, so it stood to reason that I'd want to introduce friends and family for her at some point. Ophelia fills in the role of Lala's overprotective childhood friend, and someone for Yuuto to come to blows with, seeing that the raven-haired dullahan hasn't fully excepted him as her friend's boyfriend. I wanted her to be a chuunibyou too, but I also wanted her to be more animated to balance off Lala's dark and brooding demeanour. Hopefully, you'll like her, but I could see why people could find her annoying, but too bad, she's in now!**

 **As for the sexy time scene, I decided not to take it all the way this time, firstly, because I felt it was a little too early for them, with it still technically being illegal. Don't worry, they'll go all the way at some point, I promise you that much, but the reveal I have planned for next chapter will explain why I held them off having sex for now.**

 **Finally, the abduction. For the most part, there hasn't been that much in the way of drama in this story so far, so I thought having Yuuto get abducted by an old nemesis would spice things up a bit. Normally, I'd say that Yuuto wouldn't normally fall for such a trap, but with a damsel in distress, I thought his White Knight syndrome would kick in and threw caution to the wind. I thought I executed the scene well, but I'll only know once I hear what you all think.**

 **Anyway, thank you to everyone who has read this far into the chapter, you are real troopers! As always, drop a follow and favourite if you haven't already, and leave a review or a suggestion for anything you'd think would add to the story.**

 **Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!**


	39. The Awakening (Part 1)

**A/N: Well, this is it, the big one, or at least the first part of it at least. I've had this scenario playing in my head for a good part of a year now, so to have it finally written down is a big milestone for me. The second part will be out as soon as I can get around to it, and I hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

 _Wake me up inside_

 _Wake me up inside_

 _Call my name and save me from the dark_

Inside Blare's apartment, the hellhound was happily humming to the song she was listening to through her earphones currently lodged in her ears. She was in the middle of cooking something up for herself and suddenly felt the urge to listen to one of her favourite bands. Just as she was ready to serve it up, she heard a rustling sound behind her. Her ears perked up as she spun around to see where it had come from. Blare pulled the earphones from her ears and looked towards her wardrobe with a look of confusion on her face.

"What the hell?" She muttered to herself as she neared the wardrobe.

She could hear rustling from inside, and the hellhound's feature took on a serious look.

"Hey, Bug Eyes, you better not be messing with me again." She spoke out loud in an annoyed tone as she reached the wardrobe and grabbed a hold on the handles of the doors.

She swung the doors open, only to be greeted by Lala falling towards her. Blare reacted instantly and grabbed hold of the dullahan to stop her from falling to the ground. The sudden appearance of the young reaper confused her more. Why was she here? Wasn't she supposed to be with Yuuto right now? She had so many questions to ask her.

"Lala?! What're you doing here?!" Blare exclaimed in surprise before noticing that the girl currently in her arms was sobbing to herself, unable to keep her composure. Suddenly, her eyes widened in realisation. Yuuto wasn't with her, and she knew the reaper wouldn't come to her unless something was wrong.

Blare looked down at her as fear took control. "Where's Stud?! What's happened to him?!" She exclaimed, her very core now filled with worry and dread.

Lala looked up at the hellhound as she clutched at her hoodie, barely able to keep her eyes open as they flooded with tears. "Blare…" She said before sobbing loudly once more. "They took Yuuto!"

The MON agent was shocked by what she just heard. Her squad captain had been abducted, but by who, and why? She started to be overcome by rage as her flame lashes burst into life from the corners of her eyes. Someone had taken Yuuto against his will, and as soon as she found out who had done it, she was sure as hell going to make them pay dearly for it. Blare glanced back down at the dullahan still sobbing in her arm. Now wasn't the time to get angry, she had to find out what had happened. To that end she raised a hand to Lala's cheek, causing the girl to look up at her with tear-stained eyes.

"Lala, tell me what happened."

* * *

Sometime later, Ms Smith, Lala, Vee, and all the members of MON excluding Doppel had gathered in Yuuto's apartment to figure out what to do. The young reaper was currently sitting on the couch with Tio and Manako sitting on either side of her, the two MON agents trying their best to comfort her as she continued to sob to herself. Zombina and Blare were sat at the table in the small kitchenette with looks of frustration on their faces. Kestria was leaning against the wardrobe with a downcast look on her face, while Raia, Kasumi and Vee sat on the bed with looks of worry as they watch the government agent pace back and forth across the room, fretting over the situation they were in.

" _Dammit, Kazama. What have you gotten yourself into this time?"_ Kuroko thought to herself, trying her best to keep herself calm.

Suddenly there was a knock at the window. The group turned around to see another Kestria waiting outside with an anxious look on her face.

"What the-?!" Kestria exclaimed in shock before being cut off by her superior.

"Don't worry, it's just Doppel." Ms Smith explained to the raptor harpy.

Kasumi moved up the bed and went to open the window for the new arrival. The other Kestria got inside and thanked the empusa before the window was shut once more. She started to unravel into many strands of long white hair, now revealing the doppelganger underneath as she took a seat on the bed.

"Sorry, I got here as fast as I could." Doppel explained in a gloomy tone.

Ms Smith just nodded at the girl before positioning herself in the middle of the room to get everyone's attention. "Looks like everyone's here, let's get started." She announced before removing her sunglasses and clearing her throat. "As all of you are aware, one of our MON agents, Yuuto Kazama, has gone missing. From what we know he was last seen in one of the back streets of Akihabara trying to assist a liminal in distress. By the time police arrived at the scene of the incident, all persons involved had disappeared, along with Kazama." She explained before focusing her attention towards the dullahan. "That sound about right, Lala?"

The young reaper wiped the tears from her face as she looked up at the government agent, barely able to hold back her weeping. "Aye."

Smith nodded and continued. "We haven't got a great deal to go on, but from what I've been told, it appears that Kazama was ambushed and abducted by the individuals involved. Their motives are as yet unknown, but the police are doing everything in their power to track him down, though they haven't found any leads thus far."

Zombina was still sat in her seat with her head hunched over, her hands balled into fists on the table. She couldn't stand just sitting there while her best friend was out there, having god knows what happening to him. Losing her patience, she shot up from her seat and slammed her hands against the table, gaining everyone's attention.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. "WHY THE FUCK ARE WE JUST SITTING AROUND WHILE BEESH IS IN TROUBLE?! THEY COULD BE TOTURING HIM FOR ALL WE KNOW!"

Kuroko glanced towards the zombie and furrowed her eyebrows at her. "Zombina, I understand that you're upset, but there's nothing we can-"

"She's right!" Blare exclaimed as she stood to her paws abruptly. "We can't just sit around and do nothing while Stud's waiting on us to help! I don't even want to imagine what those bastards are doing to him right now!"

Lala heard this and started breaking down into tears once more. Tio went to pat her back comfortingly before looking towards the zombie and hellhound with a disapproving look on her face.

"Bina-chan, Blare-chan, can you please calm down? All this arguing isn't helping, plus you're only upsetting La-chan more." The ogress told them in a stern tone.

"Tio's right," Manako spoke up. "even if we went out to look for Yuuto, we have no way of tracking him down." She continued in a gloomy tone.

Suddenly, Vee's eyes widened in realisation as her feeler shot up straight as if an idea popped into her head. The slime got off of the bed and quickly made her way to Yuuto's laptop on the desk next to his bed. Kasumi, Doppel, Raia and Kestria looked towards her in confusion, unsure of what she was doing.

"But still, Stud needs our help!" Blare shouted in frustration.

"Yeah, Beesh would do the same for us!" Zombina added in an annoyed to towards her superior.

Ms Smith sighed in frustration as she locked eyes with her more stubborn subordinates. "You know Kazama of all people wouldn't rush in without a plan. I'm just as annoyed that we can't do anything to help, but we need to wait and see what the police investigation turns up." She explained to them, trying to be sympathetic.

Both the zombie and the hellhound hung their heads, the former was annoyed by not being able to do anything, and the latter was upset that her squad captain was suffering while they had no idea where he was.

"Ms Smith, do you have any idea who might've had reason to kidnap Medjay?" Raia spoke up from her seat on the bed, trying to keep herself calm and collected.

Kuroko looked over towards the mummy with a worried look on her face. "Only one person comes to mind. Gaku Takahashi."

Zombina shot her head up once more as her temper started to flare up again. "Wait, the asshole that led the back robbery?! I thought he was incarcerated at Fuchū Prison!"

"Was." The government agent emphasised. "They said on the news a few weeks back that he somehow broke out and the police haven't been able to trace him. I can't say for certain, but he might have something to do with Kazama's abduction."

The redhead slammed her hands against the table again. "That fucking spineless bastard! If I find him I swear I'm gonna make him wish he stayed locked up!"

Everyone else in the apartment stayed quiet as they let Zombina continue her yells of frustration. Even if they knew who took Yuuto, there was a strong possibility that the people involved were all human, and in that case, MON couldn't do anything to intervene without breaking the laws of the Exchange Bill. As the zombie took a moment to catch her breath, the group noticed the clicking of keys coming from Yuuto's laptop, and they looked to see that Vee was typing and clicking away with the mouse and keyboard, engrossed by what she was doing.

"Vee, what are you doing?" Kasumi asked as she got off the bed and crouched down next to the slime girl to see what had taken up her attention.

"Gooball, this isn't the time to be messing around with computer games! We need to find Stud!" Blare exclaimed in an annoyed tone.

"Yeah, what are you even messing with anyway?" Kestria questioned as she stood to the other side of the orange slime.

Vee didn't turn her attention away from the screen for even a moment as she concentrated on what she was doing, not even giving them a verbal answer. She continued to do so until the clicking of the keys stopped and her feeler shot up straight, accompanied by a bright smile on the slime's face.

"I found Yuuto!" She exclaimed joyfully, causing the raptor harpy and empusa to flinch from her sudden reaction.

Everyone in the room shot a glance at the slime girl, their eyes wide in surprise, not quite believing what she just said. Nonetheless, Lala, Zombina and Blare rushed towards the laptop as fast as they could, the dullahan couching as close to Vee as she could as she looked to see what she had found, while the zombie and hellhound stood behind them looking over their shoulders to see what was going on. What they saw was a map of what looked like the docks of the Koto ward. There was a small marker with a phone symbol on it with a cell phone number next to it hovering over one of the warehouses.

"Hey, that's Beesh's number!" Zombina exclaimed in a positive tone.

"But how did you even find it?!" Blare asked, now on edge with this recent discovery.

"Yuuto was worried about losing his phone, so he installed a tracking app on it just in case he ever lost it. The site I'm on works with the app to help track down the phone, so if we're lucky Yuuto should be there too." Vee explained as she looked up at the hellhound with a smile on her face.

Kestria quirked an eyebrow at the slime girl. "But how did you even figure out how to do that?"

"I learned from when I read Yuuto's mind." She replied in an innocent tone.

"…The hell?"

"Wait, slimes can do that?" Raia asked as she and Doppel got off the bed to see what was happening.

"Got to admit, that's pretty useful." The doppelganger said with a smirk on her face.

"It certainly is," Kasumi added as she placed a hand on the slime girl's head and started rubbing it gently, to which Vee responded with a joyous giggle. "good job, Vee."

Lala couldn't help but let a bright smile cross her lips as her eyes teared up with joy, happy that they had at least some idea where Yuuto might be. Unable to contain herself, the dullahan wrapped her arms around Vee in a loving hug as she nuzzled her cheek against hers.

"Thank ye, Vee! I am eternally indebted tae ye fer this selfless act!" The young reaper cried out in joy as she tightened her grip around the orange slime.

Vee let out another giggle as she wrapped some of her tendrils around Lala and used her feeler to wipe away her tears. "No pro."

Ms Smith walked over towards the laptop and examined what the slime girl had found. She took the mouse and looked over the map thoroughly to pinpoint where the phone was exactly. "Hmm, looks like its somewhere around Tokyo harbour in Koto ward, probably hiding out in an abandoned warehouse nearby." The government agent muttered to herself as she continued to look over the map. "That's where his phone is, but there's no guarantee that Kazama is there as well. But it's the only lead we have." She continued as she stood herself up straight once more. "I'm going to get in touch with the police with this information. Everyone, we're heading back to headquarters to suit up and be on standby just in case there's any liminal presence."

A massive grin appeared on Zombina's face as she heard the superior's request. "It's about damn time!" She shouted enthusiastically.

All the other MON agents nodded and got ready to move out.

Kuroko redirected her attention towards the dullahan and slime still by the laptop. "Vee, I'm going to need you to stay here and keep track of the phone just it case it moves." She explained as she jotted down something on a piece of paper nearby and left it by the laptop. "Call me on this number on the apartment phone if you need to get it touch with me."

"Got it!" Vee exclaimed with a bright smile and a salute.

The raven-haired human nodded and locked eyes with the young reaper. "Lala, I need you to stay here and keep and eye on Vee. Trust that we'll get Kazama back as soon as possible."

Ms Smith was just about to turn and leave when Lala stood up straight and gave the human a grim look. "I am coming with ye." She stated in a very serious tone.

Kuroko and the MON agents turned to face the dullahan at her declaration, the human returning a serious look of her own. "I understand that you're worried, but I can't risk you getting hurt if things go-"

The government agent was interrupted as shadowy tendrils shot from around the young reaper before they started to wrap around her arms, legs and torso. They soon shaped themselves into gauntlets and arm guards around her arms, armoured boots around her feet and thighs, and finally a breastplate and waist guard around her chest and waist, all of which were black with gold trimmings. More shadowy tendrils shot from her shoulders and started running down her back and arching over her head until they formed into a black cape and hood. Lala kept her eyes locked on the human as she formed Crescent Shadow in her right hand and slammed the tip of the shaft against the floor with a look of determination on her face. The other women in the room were stunned by the sudden transformation.

"Holy crap, Lala!" Blare shouted in startled surprise.

"Damn, Headless!" Zombina exclaimed in excitement. "Didn't realise you had a battle mode!"

Lala kept her eyes locked on the government agent as she refused to back down. "I said that I will accompany ye on this endeavour." She responded as she furrowed her eyebrows at Ms Smith. "He is me Love and I will nay abandon him tae this fate. I do nay care if I must go alone, but I will save him." She continued with grim resolve.

Kuroko stared back at the dullahan, not entirely surprised by the transformation as she stood there unflinchingly. "Even so, you have to realise the potential danger you'll be putting yourself in if you do go alone." She told her in a stern tone.

The young reaper spun her scythe in her hand for a moment before she held the blade low to her side and placed her free hand over her face while keeping her eyes and mouth visible as she gave the human a confident smirk. "Do nay underestimated the combat prowess o' a Knight o' Death."

The government agent couldn't help but smirk back at her as she placed her sunglasses back on her face. "Fine, you can come. Doubt you'll take no for an answer anyway. But, you are to follow my orders like everyone on MON. Is that understood?"

"So be it. I will do what it takes tae retrieve Yuuto from this peril." Lala replied as she gave the human a warm smile, letting a single tear trickle down her cheek.

"I'm glad that we've come to an agreement." Ms Smith responded before turning her attention back to the MON agents in the room. "Alright everyone, let's suit up. We've got ourselves a bishie to rescue." She announced with a confident smirk.

All the girls' faces lit up with confidence as they nodded at their superior. "Right!" They all shouted out in unison.

* * *

Yuuto found himself standing in an empty white void, bare and barren as far as the eye could see. He couldn't make sense of what was going on, the last thing he could remember was trying to help the echidna girl as she was being attacked by two thugs, only to be thanked by the same girl strangling him with her tail. He was pretty sure he wasn't on the verge of death seeing he wasn't in Limbo, which could only mean that he was in a dream. He looked around to see if he could find something, or preferably someone, but he was met with the emptiness of the void wherever he looked.

"Seriously, why am I always stuck in an empty space in these dreams?" The blonde said out loud to himself in an annoyed tone.

"Me Love."

The human jerked his head around to see Lala standing a few feet behind him in her Limbo form, her cowlick nowhere to be seen and wearing her white turtleneck dress and white stocking. She stood there motionlessly as she gave him a loving smile.

"Lala. Is that-" Yuuto was cut off as the dullahan spoke once more.

"Ye may nay be aware o' it, but ye are nay like other mortals. Ye possess a power beyond human comprehension, yet ye have yet tae tap intae it." She said in a flat tone despite the smile on her lips and the blush on her cheeks.

The human quirked an eyebrow at the young reaper and started moving towards her. "Babe, what are you talking about? You're not making any sense." He replied, confused by the current situation.

"Ye will come tae understand yer potential soon enough."

Just as Yuuto was about to reach out to his girlfriend, she vanished into thin air without a trace, leaving him standing there in bewilderment. He knew it was just a dream, but what was she talking about? A power beyond human comprehension? Tapping into his potential? It sounded like her typical chuunibyou nonsense, but he couldn't help but feel there was some merit to her words, even if it was just his subconscious messing with him.

"She's right, Yuuto."

He froze in place as he heard a voice that he hadn't heard in years, one he hoped he'd never hear again. With dread filling his core he slowly turned around to see a man standing right behind him. He had shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes with a short trimmed black beard which only covered the area around his mouth, as well as his chin. He was wearing a grey suit top and trousers with a white button-up underneath with the top button undone, along with a pair of polished black shoes and a gold chain around his neck. The MON agent stood there shaking with rage as he recognised the man that was his father.

"…Dad. What the hell are you doing here?" The blonde asked with barely contained anger as he turned to face him.

"It is time you realised what you are capable of, my son." His father replied with a smirk on his face.

Yuuto balled his right hand into a fist and stepped forwards as he took a swing at the man. "I'LL NEVER GO BACK TO THAT LIFE!" He yelled as he let his temper take over, ready to punch his so-called father with all his might.

Just as he was about to make contact, the man flashed to the side like a red blur, completely avoiding the attack. Yuuto glanced to his left and saw his father mere inches away from him, his entire body crackling in sparks of crimson lightning, emanating some sort of overbearing power. Before the blonde could react, the man raised his right fist and swung it at him with incredible speed.

"Whether you like it or not, you will realise your potential!"

The fist collided with his left cheek and was soon blinded by a flash of white light. It faded, and the human now found himself inside a large darkened warehouse, the only source of light coming from a line of windows revealing the moon hanging in the night sky. He felt a searing pain on the left side of his face as blood trickled from his mouth. He looked down to see that he was bound to a steel chair, his legs tied to the front legs and his arms tied behind him to the backrest. He then looked up to see three liminals standing in front of him.

The first was a muscular looking male jinko right in front of him with short black hair and orange fur with black stripes, wearing a white V-neck and blue jeans. Yuuto saw him holding up his large clawed fist with blood on his knuckles as he stared down at the human with a menacing look on his face. The second was a bulky and tall male gargoyle looking down at him with a stoic look on his face. He had combed back black hair and green slit eyes as well as pale skin, apart from around his arms which looked like they were made from slate. He had two large slate-coloured horns protruding from the top of his head as well as two large wings with membranes that looked like purple stained glass and a large stone tail which was also the colour of slate. The brute of a man was wearing a tight-fitting blue T-shirt, grey jeans and a pair of black army boots. The final individual who was standing at the back of the group was the green-scaled echidna from before, standing there covering her eyes with her bangs as to avoid eye contact with the human with a forlorn look on her face.

The jinko grasped his hand around the top of Yuuto's head and forced the human to look into his eyes. "Time to wake up, twerp. The boss wants to talk to you." He said with a gruff voice, obviously enjoying his current power trip.

"Take it easy, will you?" The gargoyle spoke up. "He said to keep him in one piece till he gets here."

"I hardly touched him." He said with a sadistic grin as he tightened his grip on the MON agent's head, the tips of his claws threatening to break his skin. "What's a few little cuts with what he's got planned for this unlucky bastard?"

Before the jinko could continue, the tip of the echidna's tail wrapped tightly around his neck and lifted him up into the air, causing him to let go of the human. He looked down at the reptilian to see she had crossed her arms under her breasts, looking up at him with a disapproving look on her face.

"What the fuck, Roxanne?!" He yelled in anger as he struggled to break free.

"You heard him, the boss will be pissed if you try anything without his say so, plus, he's not the only one who wants the human in one piece." Roxanne answered with a hint of venom in her tone of voice.

After a moment she unravelled her tail from around the jinko's neck, causing him to drop to the ground with a grunt of pain. He took a moment to catch his breath before he managed to get back onto his paws as he looked back at the echidna and snarled at her.

"You little bitch! I'll turn you into a pair of snake-skinned boots for that!" The jinko shouted as he raised his claws, readying himself for a fight.

The echidna took up a defensive stance as she raised her scaled arms to guard herself and raised the tip of her tail to the side, ready to strike at the man in front of her.

Just as he was about to pounce at the girl, the doors at the far end of the warehouse opened and a shadowy figure walked through, slamming the door behind him. The two liminals stopped what they were doing as both their faces contorted into looks of fear and dread. Even the gargoyle, who had ironically hardly moved an inch since Yuuto regain consciousness flinched at the man's presence. Yuuto just looked towards where the newcomer was, struggling to make out what he looked like in the dim light.

"What's with all the racket in here? I just fucking asked you to wake our guest up." He said in a commanding tone.

"Boss!" The jinko exclaimed in a fearful tone as he lowered his claws to his sides.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Sir..." The echidna stuttered as she lowered her stance, trying her best to not quiver in fear.

The gargoyle stayed silent, trying to avoid their superior's ire.

From what the MON agent could make out, the individual they were referring to as the boss looked like he was only human, yet they were cowering in his presence like he was some nightmarish being from the depths of Hell. As the man neared the group, the moonlight started to reveal his features. The man was wearing a black suit with a red button-up shirt underneath, black tie, and a pair of black boots. His head was completely shaved, and he was sporting a massive scar across his right cheek. The man stared back at the blonde with his brown menacing eyes, accompanied by a sinister smirk on his lips.

"It's been a while, Kid." The man spoke up with a lethal edge to his tone of voice.

"…Takahashi…" Yuuto responded, not at all pleased with this unfortunate reunion as he furrowed his eyebrows at the former Yakuza.

Takahashi couldn't help to chuckle to himself as he stared daggers at the MON agent. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen. And I bet you were thinking you'd never have to deal with me again, oh, how wrong you were." He said as he slowly made his way to his captive.

Yuuto smirked back up at the man, trying his best not to be intimidated. "What, you took all the effort to break out of prison just to get back at me? Didn't really take you for a stalker if I have to be honest."

The former Yakuza stopped where he was as he opened up his suit jacket and pulled out his dagger from the inside pocket, idly twirling it in his hand as he continued to glare at the blonde with a sinister grin. "As much as I despise you, Kid, that's one thing I can respect. You don't take shit from anyone and that's something I can relate to." He said before he glanced over towards the echidna. "Roxanne, be a dear and fetch me a chair, will you?"

Roxanne nodded nervously as she used the tip of her tail to pick up a spare chair nearby and placed it in between Gaku and Yuuto. The man nodded in response before he turned the chair around and sat on it with his legs spread and his arms resting on the backrest as he continued to stare down the MON agent.

"Despite that though, you humiliated me, and not only that, I got stuck with twenty years prison time, and I just can't let that stand." He continued as he spun the dagger in his hand faster now.

"And you expect me to beg for my life? Sorry to disappoint you, Gaku, but that's not happening." Yuuto replied as he kept up his bravado. "So, if you want me dead, just get it over with because I'll make sure you don't enjoy a single moment of it."

The smirk dropped from Takahashi's face as he continued to glare menacingly at the blonde and had eventually gotten up from his chair. "The tough guy act, that's fine, but the cocky attitude is something I could do without." He responded as he stepped closer towards Yuuto. "Didn't your parents teach you manners, or will I have to do it myself?"

"Please," The MON agent answered mockingly. "the only reason that you're the slightest bit threatening is that knife of yours, otherwise all you've got is shit talking to help you get by."

"Says the shit talker bound to a fucking chair." The jinko interjected with a smirk on his face.

"And you're lucky I am." The blonde responded as his smirk widened.

Gaku was losing his patience, so he gestured the jinko to go behind the captive, which the liminal complied to. He went up behind the bound human and grasped him by the shoulders hard, his claw digging into his skin as Yuuto let out a low grunt of pain. The former Yakuza then gestured the gargoyle to move in front of him, and the bulky liminal did so. The gargoyle stopped right in front of the MON agent and looked back at his boss for approval, to which Takahashi nodded in reply. The gargoyle nodded back and faced the blonde human before slamming a fist into the young man's stomach hard. Yuuto hunched over as far as he could as he felt like he was hit by a wrecking ball, letting out a short cry of agony before the liminal responsible retracted his fist.

"Again." Takahashi commanded.

The gargoyle complied and swung his fist into the young man's stomach a second time, eliciting another cry of agony. He removed his fist and stepped back from the MON agent as the blonde human sat with his head hung low taking several deep breaths to try and cope with the pain. The former Yakuza just smirked to himself as he watched him suffer, but to his surprise, Yuuto slowly raised his head as he locked eyes with him with a smirk on his face.

"What… too scared to… do it yourself? You really are pathetic… Takahashi." He said mockingly in between deep breaths.

Gaku's face contorted into a look of rage, pissed off that his captive was still mocking him despite the danger he was in. He put his knife back into his jacket pocket and stood in front of the blonde before he swung a fist at him with all his might. The punch made contact with Yuuto's left cheek as small droplets of blood spirt from his mouth. Before the MON agent had time to recover, Takahashi followed up with a left hook to his right cheek. The former Yakuza continued to alternate punches as he whaled on the captive repeatedly.

"Not so fun on the receiving end, is it?!" Gaku yelled in anger. "Don't you dare underestimate me, Boy!"

The man finally stopped as he grasped his captive's hair and pulled it, so their eyes were now locked. Takahashi's eyes went wide as he noticed that there was no sign of any swelling or bruising on his face despite the beating he just received, just the blood trickling from his mouth, though it wasn't much.

"The fuck?!" The jinko exclaimed, his claws still latched to the human's shoulders. "How tough is this guy?!"

The gargoyle had a look of confusion on his face, while Roxanne stared in awe from a distance, amazed that how the blonde was still in one piece after that.

Before the former Yakuza could say anything else, Yuuto spat blood from his mouth right at the man's face. Gaku stepped back in shock and wiped the bloodied saliva from his face before looking back at his captive as his rage grew tenfold.

The MON agent just smirked back at him once more. "Like I said, if I'm going to die anyway, I might as well make sure you don't get to enjoy it."

Takahashi finally snapped. He pulled his knife from his jacket once more and hurried his way towards the blonde as he raised his dagger above his head. "If you like smirking so much, let's see how you like looking like the fucking Joker!"

Just as he was within striking distance, the former Yakuza stopped suddenly as his body began to tremble slightly. Yuuto had a look of confusion on his face while the jinko's and gargoyle's eyes widened fearfully, both taking a step back from the captive, knowing exactly what was about to happen to their boss. Even the echidna slithered back from the man slightly as her own features grew fearful. Gaku dropped his knife and it clattered to the ground as his eyes rolled back into his head. Suddenly the man was covered by a mysterious blue aura as the irises and pupils of his eyes rolled back into view, now swathed in a glowing blue hue. Now Yuuto was becoming fearful of what was happening to the man.

Takahashi soon straightened himself out as he stared back at the blonde with a look of recognition and a smirk on his face. "I do apologize, Gaku tends to have a bit of a short fuse." He spoke, his voice now intermingled with that of another, one that the MON agent hadn't heard in years but was unable to fully recognise. "Though I must admit, for you to keep up such bravado in such a dire situation is certainly impressive. You're definitely your father's son, Yuuto Kazama."

Yuuto's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting him to know his name. "Who the fuck are you, and what have you done to Takahashi?" He asked with a hint of dread in his voice. "How do you even know my name?"

"What, you've forgotten about me after all these years? Takahiro and I were practically brothers while you and Hikari were growing up. Well, that was until he betrayed me and had me killed off." The man explained with a sense of nostalgia.

The blonde was suddenly hit with realisation, finally able to recognise the voice that coincided with Takahashi's. "…No way. Fukuda?"

The possessed man smirked in response. "In the flesh, though not my own, seeing that my corpse is still rotting at the bottom of Osaka Bay." He replied as he stepped towards his captive. "Quite convenient that the body I've possessed just so happens to have a grudge against you, helps me keep in control if we have similar motives."

"But how? You should be dead."

Fukuda continued to smirk at the blonde as she slowly began to pace back and forth in front of him. "Tell me, Yuuto. Have you ever heard of a revenant?"

Yuuto calmed himself as he kept his eyes on him. "Yeah, they're either corpses or spirits that have returned from death to carry out their vengeance." He answered as best he could.

"Good, very good." The revenant replied in a calm tone as he began to slow his pacing. "Now tell me, why do you think I've come for you first instead of your father?"

The MON agent's eyes widened in realisation. "Because the one thing he values more than his own life is his legacy…"

The man stopped as he looked back at the son of his old friend, letting a sinister grin cross his lips. "It's good to see that you haven't lost your quick thinking. It's almost a shame to have to kill you off." He spoke as he moved in front of his captive and crouched in front of him, so he was at eye level with him. "True, I could've just gone straight for Takahiro, but for one, it would've been challenging, and secondly, where's the fun in it if I don't make him suffer first by denying him what he's spent years to achieve. I won't be satisfied unless I wipe out his entire bloodline."

"Okay, that explains why you're back, but that doesn't explain how. How did you even avoid being sent to the afterlife by a dullahan in the first place?" Yuuto asked with a look of confusion on his face.

"Oh, so it seems that you're connected to the reapers somehow. It seems I don't have as much time as I hoped." Fukuda replied as his eyes remained locked with that of his prisoner's. "It wasn't easy to escape their notice, but for the sake of my vengeance, I found a way. I had to possess many different people during the last fifteen years trying to find where your family disappeared to. I'm just glad that my patience has finally paid off." He continued as he stood up straight and looked towards the echidna, gesturing her to come closer.

Roxanne nodded in compliance and nervously slithered over to her boss' side. As she moved to his side, Fukuda placed a hand on his shoulder and stared back at the MON operative. "You see, Roxanne here was a student in the Exchange Program until just recently. She was constantly pushed from one host family to another just because she was perceived as a threat to them, and after being rejected by her latest host, she had enough and ran away. I found her one day in the back streets of Akihabara trying her best to survive on her own, so I offered her a home in exchange for her assistance." He said this as he continued to stare at Yuuto menacingly while the echidna stood there trembling with fear, which implied in the MON agent's eyes that she was here against her will.

"And why are you telling me all this?" The blonde questioned.

The possessed man removed his had from Roxanne's shoulder and proceeded to crouch down in front of his captive once more. "Because, Yuuto, she will be the one to put you out of your misery." He started with an evil glint in his eye. "As you well know, lamiae and their subspecies require a male from another species to reproduce, and since the Exchange Bill was put into place, that has become exceedingly difficult for them, so I plan on killing two birds with one stone. Imagine it, you slowly being constricted to death while she has her wicked way with you, your body being rent by her claws while her venom slowly and agonizingly courses through your body. How ironic it'll be for an agent of the ICEP to be tortured to death by someone they were meant to protect."

Yuuto furrowed his eyes at his captor. "You monster…" He muttered with barely contained anger.

Fukuda chuckled to himself as he stood to his feet once more and motioned the jinko and gargoyle to accompany him out of the darkened warehouse. "I would love to stay and chat more, but I do have business to attend to, like finding the whereabouts of your dear sister for starters." He said in a menacing tone.

The blonde's eyes widened in shock, rage now consuming him as he struggled to break free of his bonds. "You bastard! Don't you dare lay a finger on Hikari!" He yelled in anguish.

The boss merely smirked back at the MON operative. "Unfortunately for you, you don't have much say in the matter anymore." He started as he began to walk off with his lackeys before turning his attention towards the echidna. "Roxanne, you know what to do."

"Of course, Sir…" She replied dejectedly.

With that, the woman slithered up to Yuuto and coiled her tail around him as she pressed herself against him and in between his legs. Once he was fully ensnared, she tightened her coils around him, hard enough to elicit a yell of agony from the human. She silenced him by placing her hands on the back of his head and pushing his face into her cleavage as she continued to torment the young man.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll enjoy yourself before you die." She said out loud in a sultry tone as she continued to constrict him.

The blue aura faded from around the former Yakuza as Takahashi was back in control once more. The man looked back at his captive with a sadistic smirk on his face. "Don't think she'll be the end of it, I still plan to slice you up myself before you pass on, Kid. Maybe that'll teach you to pick your fights better in the next life." With that the trio of men left, leaving the blonde to his current torment.

As soon as they left, and that Roxanne was certain that they couldn't hear her anymore, she slowly uncoiled herself from the human, much to his confusion. She slithered back slightly as she looked back at him and was now waving her hands at him apologetically.

"Omigod, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed in a hushed tone just to be safe. "I didn't mean to hurt you! Are you alright?!"

Yuuto just stared at her with widened eyes as he tried to make sense of the situation. "I've felt better, but I'll be fine, I guess." He answered in a confused tone.

"Oh, thank God." The echidna replied as she let out a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry I had to do that to you, Takahashi wouldn't have bought it if I held back, please forgive me." She continued as she gave him a pleading look.

"Hey, it's okay. I forgive you." The human replied as he gave her a reassuring smile. "I had a feeling you weren't here of your own free will. How did you even end up here?"

"It's just like what Fukuda said, I ran away from my last host and he took me in, as long as I did what he said that is…" She trailed off, the shame now mounting on her. "But now that you're here, there's a chance that I can leave this life and start over." She spoke up once more as she looked at him with a warm smile on her face. "I was kinda happy when you came in to save me earlier…"

Yuuto smiled back at her despite his precarious situation. "It's alright, I would've done the same for anyone. Anyway, if you want out of this, I'd be willing to help if I can get out of here."

"Wait, you would?!"

"Sure."

Roxanne couldn't contain her elation as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. "Oh, thank you so much! I don't know how I'd ever make it up to you!" She yelled joyously.

"Hey, take it easy, we need to get out of here first." He replied in a hushed tone to try and calm her down.

"Oh, sorry." She answered as she pulled away from him. "If it helps, I held onto this for you." She continued as she pulled out his cell phone from her person and held it in front of him. "If nothing else you can call your friends for help."

Yuuto smirked at her, happy about the fortunate turn of events. "That won't be necessary, my co-workers will probably have found the tracking signal for it by now. Might not be long till help arrives."

"Great!" Roxanne exclaimed excitedly as she moved in close again. "Now, let's get you out of those bonds before someone-!"

She was cut off as a long curved black blade materialised just in from of the echidna's neck. She froze in place as fear set in, slowly turning her head to the side so she could glance at her assailant. She saw a blue-skinned woman with long white hair, clad in black armour and a shadowy cape staring back with a death glare with her golden eyes.

"Yer transgressions have brought ye tae this fate, so do nay hope fer any mercy." The young reaper spoke in a threateningly grim tone.

Roxanna shot her hands up in the air in surrender as she freaked out over her current dilemma. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! Please don't kill me!" She screamed as she shut her eyes tight, hopeful that the act would somehow bring the situation to an end.

"Lala! It's alright, Roxanne is trying to help!" Yuuto yelled to grab his girlfriend's attention.

The dullahan glanced over towards her boyfriend and her eyes widened, overjoyed that he was still alive and in one piece. She suddenly dematerialised Crescent Shadow and ran towards him, crouching down just in front of him before pulling him into a tight and loving embrace as she started to sob out loud, now overwhelmed by a sense of relief.

"Yuuto! Thank the gods, ye're alive!" She exclaimed joyously as she buried her face into the crook of his neck, continuing to sob as she did so.

The blonde smiled to himself as he pressed his cheek against hers and nuzzled against it gently. "It's good to see you too, Lala."

Lala continued to sob for a moment before she calmed down and pulled back from him slightly to lock eyes with him with a look of worry on her face. "Me Love, are ye hurt?" She asked as she placed a gauntlet-covered hand on his cheek and stroked it with her thumb.

"Yeah, I took a bit of a beating, but I'll live." He answered as he smiled at her reassuringly.

The young reaper couldn't help but return him a loving smile. "Thank goodness." She replied before she moved in for a kiss, their lips glossing over each other for a moment before she pulled back and gave him a determined look. "Do nay worry, I will free ye o' this torment soon enough." She said as she stood up and materialised her scythe once more.

The echidna let out a sigh of relief before she slithered up behind the human to cut free the rope that bound his arms together. "Alright, I'll deal with the bindings here." She said before she locked eyes with the dullahan. "I need you to deal with the bindings on his legs.

Lala nodded, and she executed two quick slashes with Crescent Shadow, instantaneously severing the rope from her boyfriend's legs. Once the rope was removed, Yuuto let out a sigh of relief as he stood up to stretch his muscles.

"Ah, much better." He started as he rolled his shoulders to get rid of the stiffness in them. "Let's get moving before someone shows up."

"Right," Roxanne answered as she started to slither towards the back of the warehouse. "there's a back entrance we can use to get out of here unnoticed."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go." Yuuto replied while Lala nodded in agreement.

Just as they were about to make their escape, the front door opened as Takahashi, along with the jinko and gargoyle from earlier who were now both armed with an AK-47 each came in to check on the captive. The timing couldn't have been worse.

"It's gotten quiet in here." The boss said out loud as she strolled in. "I hope you aren't going easy on our-" He cut himself off as he saw that his former captive was now free from his bonds and was about to make his escape along with Roxanne and the newcomer. To say that he was angry at the current situation was a gross understatement.

Yuuto's eyes widened as he was now filled with dread. "…Shit…"

"OPEN FIRE!" Gaku commanded at the top of his lungs.

As if on instinct, the blonde grabbed hold of Lala's and Roxanne's wrists and started dragging them to the nearest cover available. "MOVE!"

The group started sprinting towards a large stack of wooden crates as the thugs started to open fire at them with their rapid-fire weaponry. Thankfully every bullet strayed off course as they were running for their lives. The trio dived behind the crates and laid low as the bullets started to shred into the wooden crates, sending splinters flying in every direction. Lala's head tipped from her shoulder as she laid flat on the ground, causing her armour, cape and scythe to dematerialise, revealing the outfit she was wearing earlier that day. Yuuto laid low as he pressed his hand on Roxanne's back to make sure she was doing the same as the bullets flew over their heads. The jinko and gargoyle continued to fire their weapons until Takahashi raised a hand to indicate to them to stop. The gunfire ceased as a sinister grin appeared on the man's face.

"Don't think I'm going to let you go that easy, Kid!" He exclaimed before he turned his attention towards the gargoyle. "You. Go get the grenade launcher."

The liminal nodded and handed over his AK-47 to the former Yakuza before he left the warehouse to go fetch the other weapon. Gaku proceeded to ready the weapon and began to open fire on the stack of crates once more with the jinko now doing the same. Yuuto, Lala and Roxanne stayed as low as possible, hoping they wouldn't be hit by any stray bullets.

"Crap, we're going to be stuck here if they keep this up." The blonde cursed to himself, trying to think of a way out of their current dilemma.

"It seems they will nay allow us to flee from this torment willingly." Lala added, trying her best to keep calm.

Roxanne clenched her fists as she looked over towards the couple. "I can cause a distraction for you, it might give the two of you enough time to escape." She told them as she tried desperately to stop herself from trembling with fear.

Yuuto locked eyes with the echidna as he grasped a hand on her shoulder. "Not a chance in Hell, they'll just slaughter you!"

"But if I don't, we're all going to die anyway!" She yelled in protest as tears started to well up in her eyes. "It's my fault that you guys are in this situation in the first place, so I should be the one to get you out of it!"

"There is nay need tae throw away yer only life so needlessly." The young reaper interjected in a calm manner as she locked eyes with her.

"And how else are you two going to get out of this then?!"

Before the dullahan could reply they heard the front entrance open again as the gargoyle came in with the grenade launcher Takahashi had asked for. The former Yakuza halted his fire for a moment as he smirked at his lackey and exchanged weapons with him. The gargoyle proceeded to open fire at the crates with the jinko while the man readied the weapon for use.

"I was hoping I'd get chance to torture you personally, Kid, but it looks like I'll have to settle with blowing you and your friends into tiny chunks!" He exclaimed as he pointed the weapon towards the crates, at which point his underlings halted their fire. "Any last words before I send you to the other side?!"

The MON agent gritted his teeth as he prepared to shout as loud as he could. "YEAH, YOU AND FUKUDA CAN GO FUCK YOURSELVES!" He yelled defiantly.

A menacing grin crossed Gaku's face as he prepared to pull the trigger. "That's the fucking spirit!"

The man pulled the trigger of his weapon and a grenade was launched from its tube. The projectile sailed through the air as time slowed to a crawl, their inevitable doom inching ever closer as the seconds passed. Roxanne in her emotional state clung to Yuuto tightly as she pressed her forehead against him, wishing to feel some closeness before her demise. The human grasped her shoulder tightly once more in a vain attempt to comfort her, hoping for it all to end quickly. Lala remained calm as a smirk graced her lips.

"Our tale does nay end here." She spoke with confidence.

As the grenade reached the peak of its arc, it suddenly exploded mid-air along with the shattering of one of the windows, much to the surprise of the former Yakuza and his lackeys. Yuuto's and Roxanne's eyes widened in surprise as they found that they were still alive. Before Takahashi could process what happened, the grenade launcher he was holding exploded into shrapnel in his hands, also accompanied by a shattering of another window.

"The fuck was that?!" He exclaimed in shock.

Before the jinko and gargoyle could register what was going on, their rifles also exploded into shrapnel, much to their disbelief. Out of curiosity, The MON agent got onto his feet and peeked around the corner of the remains of the crates they were using for cover while Roxanne sat herself up straight and Lala stood up and placed her head back on her shoulders, now rematerializing her armour, cape and hood, as well as Crescent Shadow. The human observed the scene in front of him, seeing the three criminals standing in confusion with the remains of their weapons at their feet, as well as the shattered windows to the right. This had to be Manako's handiwork.

The blonde couldn't help but smirk to himself at the fortuitous timing. "Looks like the cavalry's here."

No sooner had he said that the roof of the warehouse blew open just behind the criminals as a cloud of smoke billowed across the ceiling, obscuring the freshly made hole. The three criminals looked up in surprise at what had just happened. Before they could react a familiar red-headed individual jumped down through the smoke and landed just in front of the men on one knee, and she soon stood up straight as she pointed a pair of SMGs at the individuals in front of her as a toothy grin graced her lips.

"You unlucky assholes picked the wrong bishie to abduct!" Zombina exclaimed as she readied to pull the triggers on her weapons.

Before they could react, the zombie fired her weapons at the group, assaulting them with a barrage of rubber bullets. Takahashi took the full brunt of the attack, being riddled by the projectiles before he collapsed onto his back. The jinko dodge as fast as he could to the side to avoid getting hit, while the gargoyle merely crouched down in place and shielded himself with his stony arms and tail.

"I'm going to tear you a new asshole, you bitch!" The feline liminal exclaimed as he charged at the zombie with his claws raised.

Before he could get close, another individual jumped through the smoke and intercepted the jinko, landing on the man's back paws first as she knocked him to the ground. The hellhound then jumped to the side and readied her claws as she locked eyes on her target, the corners of them bursting into flame as she did so.

"Sorry, but you're going to have to play with me for the time being, little kitten!" Blare shouted challengingly at him as she gave him a smug grin.

The jinko growled at her as he stood up straight and began to charge at her with his own claws raised. "Fuck you, you damned mongrel!" He shouted as he gave into his rage.

As he closed the distance, he swung at her with his right claw in a wide arc, only for the hellhound to jump back a step to avoid the strike. The jinko continued his flurry of strikes as Blare continued to evade each attack. Eventually, the criminal left an opening for her and she leapt straight at him, grabbing his face with her left claw before she slammed it into the concrete floor as hard as she could, instantly knocking him unconscious.

"Maybe try learning how to fight first, dumbass." Blare said out loud as she stood up straight and let go of the jinko's head unceremoniously.

While the zombie and the hellhound were preoccupied, the gargoyle noticed the blonde human peeking around the corner of the crates. With the target in sight, he opened up his wings and took off into the air as he rushed towards him. Yuuto saw this and ran the opposite direction as he motioned the dullahan and echidna to follow. Lala stepped in front of them as she raised her scythe, ready to intercept the threat. Before the gargoyle even got close, he felt something hit his wings as they were now bound together, and he looked behind him to see they were tied together by a bolas.

"What the-!" He exclaimed before he was cut off as he felt a weight hit the back of his head.

A slender figure landed on his head mid-air and sent him careening to the ground. He hit the concrete floor hard as his body skidded towards a stone pillar. The empusa on top of him performed a backflip and leapt off of him before his head collided with the pillar, rendering him unconscious. The shinobi landed gracefully into a crouch with both sets of carapace-covered arms spread wide for balance. Yuuto, Lala and Roxanne stopped in place as they looked towards their saviour, who by now had stood up straight and folded her sickles to her sides as her green compound eyes locked with those of her squad captain's.

Kasumi gave the human a wide joyous smile as she began sprinting towards him. "Senpai!" She exclaimed in relief.

The blonde gave her a warm smile and he opened his arms wide, allowing the woman to press herself up against him as she latched her sickles around his shoulders and wrapped her arms around his chest. She buried her face in his chest as she let streams of joyous tears trickle down her face, while the human wrapped his arms tightly around her in an attempt to comfort the empusa.

"Hey Kasumi, it's good to see you too." He replied as he began to gently pat her head.

They stayed like this for a moment before she looked up at him and gave him a warm smile. "Thank goodness, I had thought the worst might've happened to you." She said as she fought to hold back her tears.

"Still alive and kicking I'm afraid." He joked as he fought to hold back a chuckle. As he looked down at her, he noticed that she had Black Lotus tied to her belt. "You brought my katana with you?" He questioned as he gave her a puzzled look.

Kasumi calmed herself down as she stepped away from him and untied the katana from her belt. "I thought that you may be in need of it, considering the circumstances." She answered as she held the weapon towards him in both hands.

Yuuto smirked back at the empusa as he retrieved the weapon and tied it to his own belt. "Thank you, Kasumi, but where are the others?"

"The rest of MON is currently intercepting other hostiles along with the police. Ms Smith and Sergeant Ogawa are currently commanding the operation from a safe distance." The shinobi explained as she returned to her more reserved self. "I doubt there'll be much resistance left."

The human let out a sigh of relief as he rubbed the back of his head. "Should be a cakewalk with the ringleader down at least." He replied as he glanced towards the incapacitated Takahashi.

The former Yakuza groined in pain, unable to move a muscle without them stinging in pain as the zombie sauntered up to him and nudged him in the side with her boot. "Chromedome here doesn't look like he'll be going anywhere anytime soon." She said out loud with her signature grin as she kept her weapons honed at the criminal.

Blare was soon done with retraining the jinko before she stood up and wiped her brow with her forearm as she locked eyes with her captain. "Well, at least you're still in one piece, Stud." She said as she gave him a warm smile.

"Barely," He retorted as he smirked back at her. "If Roxanne here wasn't so willing to help me try and escape, I'd probably be crippled right about now." He continued as he hooked a thumb towards the echidna behind him.

"…Yeah, I'm just glad everything worked out…" Roxanne said out loud as her cheeks went bright red.

Lala had a grim look on her face as she moved to her boyfriend's side. "I am afraid that it's too early tae celebrate. The vengeful spirit that possesses this mortal still poses a grave threat." She warned as she kept her focus on Takahashi.

Just as the dullahan said that Gaku began to stir as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. Zombina wasted no time as she pointed her SMGs at the ringleader once more.

"Don't even think about trying anything funny." The zombie warned in a threatening tone.

Suddenly, a blue aura engulfed Takahashi once more as his eyes shot wide open, surrounded in a blue hue as he cracked a wicked grin. Before the redhead could react, an ethereal katana materialised in his left hand and he swung it up at her, severing her arms with ease. A large ethereal tendril shot up from his body and swung at the zombie, sending her and her arms flying towards the far wall as she let out a scream of surprise. Blare watched as Zombina was sent flying, but she was too distracted to notice another ethereal tendril shooting out from the man. It swung at the hellhound and sent her flying towards the same wall as she let out a scream of agony.

"Zombina! Blare!" Yuuto shouted in concern while both Kasumi and Lala took up fighting stances for the upcoming confrontation with the revenant.

Gaku's body stood to its feet as he turned to face his adversaries, now with Fukuda in full control. "You think that I'd be so easily defeated? No one will stand in the way of my vengeance." He said menacingly as he pointed his blade towards the blonde agent.

Yuuto locked eyes with the possessed man and gave him a death glare as he drew Black Lotus from its sheath and pointed the blade towards him. "You monster. You're going to pay for that." He threatened with barely contained anger.

"Don't worry, Senpai, I have your back." Kasumi interjected as she raised her sickles, ready to strike at their opponent.

"No, I need you to get Roxanne out of here." He told her sternly as he kept his focus on Fukuda. "It's too dangerous for her to stay here."

"But Senpai-"

"Just do as I say, please." He begged. "He's only after me."

The shinobi was reluctant to leave his side, but she soon complied and bowed to him before she left. "As you wish, but please, stay safe."

From behind, it looked like that Roxanne wanted to object before the empusa reached her and shook her head. The echidna reluctantly nodded back as Kasumi took her hand and escorted her towards the back entrance.

"Me Love, as skilled as ye are, ye are nay a match fer this foe on yer own as ye are now. Please, allow me tae aid ye in this battle. I have much experience against vengeful spirits such as this one." Lala explained as she stood at his side and pointed her scythe towards the revenant.

The blonde glanced back at her and gave her a confident smirk. "Alright, but I'm taking the lead. I don't want you getting hurt."

The young reaper couldn't help but smile back at him lovingly. "I would nay expect anything else from ye."

Fukuda let out a maniacal laugh as he got into a fighting stance and extended several ethereal tendrils from his back. "If you wanted to die together, then you only needed to ask. Let this be your final resting place, for there is no hope for you now."

"We'll see about that." Yuuto replied defiantly.

Without any hesitation, the human and dullahan pair charged forwards at the revenant with their weapons raised. Fukuda held his own ethereal blade high before he swung down at the oncoming MON agent. Yuuto blocked the strike as their katanas ground against each other, but the possessed man gave him a sinister grin as he sent several tendrils to strike at the human. Lala intercepted the tendrils and slashed through them with Crescent Shadow, causing the severed ends to dissipate into nothingness. The revenant pushed the blonde to the side as he readied to defend himself against the young reaper, who had now started striking at him in a series of wide arcing attacks. He held his ground against the whirlwind of blades while the severed tendrils reformed and tried to strike her from the side. Lala was forced to back off, so she could successfully parry the strikes coming at her. While Fukuda was distracted, Yuuto tried to flank the man, only to be intercepted by another ethereal tendril. The MON operative blocked the strike with Black Lotus and was pushed back towards where his girlfriend was. As the pair stood at each other's sides once more, they re-established their fighting stances as the possessed man continued to stare menacingly at them.

"Shit, this guy is no pushover." Yuuto said out loud in between deep breaths.

"Aye, this spirit feeds off the resentment it feels towards the living and manifests it as a means tae enact its vengeance." Lala replied as she did the same.

"Well, that makes things difficult."

The revenant began to laugh maniacally once more as he locked eyes with the blonde. "Don't worry, Yuuto, it'll all be over soon. And once I'm done with you and your precious girlie over there, I'm going to go find your sister and show her the true meaning of pain and suffering." He said as he gave him a sadistic grin.

The MON agent's temper flared as he gripped tightly at the hilt of his katana, giving the man a death glare as he charged at him furiously. "You bastard! It ends here!"

"Me Love, wait!" The dullahan cried out with worry.

As the blonde closed in on Fukuda, he swung Black Lotus down towards him with all his might. The possessed man blocked the strike with ease before he blindsided the younger human with one of his tendrils. Yuuto was sent flying towards the remains of the crates, landing hard on his back as he let out a cry of pain.

"Yuuto!" Lala screamed in distress.

As Fukuda started to move towards the blonde at a leisurely pace, the young reaper rushed in between them and took up a defensive stance, pointing her curved blade at the revenant once more. He stopped where he was and gave the girl a sadistic grin.

"Try all you want, reaper, but you cannot save him." He said menacingly.

"Ye will nay have him!" She shouted back defiantly.

"Oh, we'll see about that."

As this was going on, Blare came to once more as she propped herself up. She looked around to see what was going on before someone called out to her.

"Blare, over here!" Zombina yelled from the far wall.

The hellhound looked over towards where the yell came from to see the zombie sat with her back against the was with her severed arms conveniently laying nearby. The younger MON agent stood up and rushed over towards her comrade.

"Zombina, are you alright?!" Blare exclaimed with worry as she crouched down next to her.

"Yeah, but I could use a hand here." The redhead replied with her signature grin as she tried to make light of the situation.

*Sigh* "Hardly the time for making jokes. Anyway, where's Stud?"

"Over there." Zombina replied as she pointed one of her stumped arms in the general direction of where the fight was taking place.

Blare looked over to see Lala trying to fend off the ringleader as best as she could, and she also noticed that her captain was lying down on top of a pile of splintered wood, struggling to get back up. Her flame lashes burst from the corners of her eyes as she got up and attempted to charge at the possessed man, letting out a furious battle cry.

"Blare wait!" The zombie shouted in vain.

While the young reaper was trying her best to deflect a flurry of attacks from the revenant's tendrils, the man was distracted as he heard the yell of the hellhound as she rushed towards him. Blare had her claws raised as she leapt towards him.

"Leave them alone!" She cried out in anger.

Fukuda merely smirked at the woman as he swatted her away once more with one of his tendrils, sending her flying towards the far wall once more as she smacked of it and landed on the concrete floor hard. Blare let out a cry of pain as she clutched her arms around her chest.

"Blare!" Zombina cried out with worry, unable to help out her comrade.

The revenant refocused his attention towards the young reaper as he slowly sauntered towards her, giving her a menacing grin. "Accept your fate, girl. This is where you die."

"Maybe so, but I will nay let ye take me Love from this world!" Lala shouted back as she charged towards the possessed man with her scythe raised.

As she closed in, Fukuda blindsided her with one of his tendrils and sent her flying towards one of the stone pillars. Her head was sent flying from her shoulders as her body's back hit the pillar hard. Her body slumped down with her back resting against the pillar as her head landed in her lap. Her armour, cape and hood, as well as Crescent Shadow dissipated into nothingness, leaving her in her outfit she was wearing earlier. As she opened her eyes from her lap to see what was going on, the man had sauntered over to her and was now standing right in front of her, staring down at her with a sadistic grin and an evil glint in his eyes. She looked up at him as her whole being was now filled with fear and dread.

"Like I said, reaper, no one will stop me from having my vengeance, and I mean no one."

Yuuto was regaining his consciousness as he tried to prop himself up as best as he could. He looked up to see Fukuda now towering over his girlfriend with his ethereal blade raised, ready to strike down at her. His mind flashed back to all the memories he had of Lala and their time together, remembering all the precious moments they had together, and it was all about to be taken away from him. Just then something snapped in him as if something that was locked away had finally broken free with anger and fury. His muscles tensed up as sparks of red lightning arced across his whole body, just like his father from his dream earlier. His face contorted into a grimace as the chaotic energy was now coursing over his eyes. He was not about to let his girlfriend die.

"Say your prayers, girlie!" The revenant shouted as he began to swing his weapon down at the dullahan.

Lala shut her eyes tight as her body clutched her arms tight around her head as tears began to spill from her eyes. "YUUTO!"

"LALAAAAAAAA!"

Fukuda was distracted as he now glanced to his side. Before could react the blonde agent was on him in a flash of crimson as he swung his blade to intercept the revenant's strike. Before the possessed man could register what was happening, Yuuto had pushed him back as the same crimson lighting was arcing through Black Lotus. The energy coursed its way into Fukuda as he was sent flying into the opposite wall at great speed. As soon as he made contact with the wall, the whole area exploded in a burst of crimson energy which shattered the wall and the ceiling nearly, the surrounding area now covered in rubble.

Lala opened her eyes and looked up to see her boyfriend standing in front of her protectively as he held his katana to his side. She noticed that both he and the weapon had crimson lightning coursing through both of them.

"Yuuto…" She said in a barely audible mutter as she stared at his back in amazement.

Blare and Zombina saw what happened from where they were. Both of them had their mouths agape as they struggled to make sense of what just happened. They were left utterly speechless.

After a moment, the revenant used his tendrils to burst out of the rubble and began to climb out of it. As he pulled himself out and struggled to stand up once more, he looked towards where the blonde was standing. His eyes shot open in shock at what he saw. The MON agent was standing proudly as the chaotic energy continued to course through his body. Fukuda was visibly shaking at the terrifying sight in front of him.

"But how?! What the fuck happened?!" The revenant shouted in frustration.

Eventually, Yuuto opened his eyes and looked towards him as if ready to kill. They weren't his blue hope-filled eyes he was born with but were now a crimson red with his pupils now slit and his sclera now as black as the shadows which dominated the scene, the chaotic energy coursing through them as his irises lit up in a flash of red. As he spoke, his voice was now accompanied by a demonic echo that could strike fear into the hearts of men.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, shit is finally going down, though the main fight will be coming in the next chapter, so look forward to that.**

 **So, it's finally official, Yuuto isn't completely human, though some of you may have already guessed that from the subtle hints I left since the early days of this story, though I won't spoil what else he is just yet, you're welcome to take a guess.** **As for Lala's 'Battle Mode', I wanted her to get more involved in the story and help her stand out more, plus it gave me a chance to expand on her abilities more. I don't plan on doing anything too farfetched with their abilities, but I will take some creative freedoms with what they'll be capable of later down the line.**

 **As always, drop a follow or favourite, as well as a review or any suggestions you may want to make for the story, and thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this story. Until next time!**


	40. The Awakening (Part 2)

**A/N: Well, here's the second part of The Awakening, hope you guys enjoy.**

* * *

It was the middle of the night at a string of disused warehouses near the waterfront of the Koto ward, and the area was surrounded by a convoy of police vehicles and armoured vans. The police, along with the ICEP had conducted a raid on these warehouses upon discovering the criminal operation taking place there. As a number of police SWAT teams continued to siege the area alongside with MON, Ms Smith, as well as Sergeant Ogawa were leading the operation as best they could from the barricade of vehicles. The officer was shouting orders down the radio in an attempt to control the chaos in front of him, while the government agent stood there stoically, waiting to hear back from her team.

"Keep up the pressure, they've got nowhere to run!" The man commanded, which was responded with various confirmation from all his teams.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Ms Smith said offhandedly as she stared at the warehouses with worry, concerned about what might be waiting for her team.

"You needn't worry, we've got those bastards trapped like rats." The officer replied with a smirk on this face. "This job is as good as done."

Kuroko took her sunglasses off as she continued to stare at the warehouses with a look of worry on her face. "Let's just hope it is a simple clean-up job."

From the corner of her eye, she noticed a small SWAT team heading towards them, noticing that they were escorting one of her MON agents, Kasumi, along with a green scaled echidna. Her eyes widened in surprise as she recognised the girl slithering towards her, and she turned to face the group along with the sergeant.

"Sir, we found them trying to make their way out of the back entrance of the nearest warehouse, says that the echidna has important information for you." The SWAT team's captain explained to the officer in charge.

"Good work everyone, continue your assault." Ogawa commanded before the SWAT team saluted him and made their leave.

"Roxanne is that you?" Smith asked as she walked up to the echidna and empusa.

"Hey, it's been a while." The reptilian answered in a guilt-ridden tone. "Sorry for causing you so much trouble…"

"It's okay, you're safe now." The government agent responded in a caring tone to help put the girl at ease. She then turned her attention towards the shinobi as a worried look dominated her face once more. "What's going on in there, Kasumi?"

"Senpai is alive and well, though we have a problem concerning Takahashi." The empusa replied as she was slightly trembling at this point. "It seems like he has been possessed by some otherworldly spirit, and as a result has become an especially dangerous threat."

Kuroko was shocked. In all her years working for the ICEP, she had never once come across or even heard about a case involving an ethereal species of liminal whatsoever. For one to show up now to cause trouble unsettled her greatly, seeing that even MON wasn't equipped to handle such a threat. She tried her best to calm herself down as she focused on her subordinate once more.

"Is it just Takahashi?" She questioned.

"I believe so from what I've seen, though he'll still be difficult to handle, Ma'am."

The human then turned her attention to the echidna, hopeful that she had some answers. "Roxanne?"

Roxanne looked up at her old coordinator as she started to tremble with fear too. "There are a few other liminals around, but the spirit possessing Takahashi is the only one that I'm aware of." The woman explained as best as she could.

Smith nodded at her as she turned to face the shinobi once more. "Where are Zombina and the others?"

"They found Senpai, but they're currently engaged with Takahashi, and it doesn't look good…" Kasumi answered as worry took over her features.

"Shit…" The government agent muttered to herself. "Things couldn't possibly get any worse.

Just as she said that a large explosion came from the side of one of the warehouses nearby, which grabbed everyone's attention. The group looked over with worry as they noticed sparks of red energy coursing through the smoke that accompanied it.

"The hell was that?!" Ogawa exclaimed in surprise.

Ms Smith immediately reached for her radio and called through to her sniper. "Observer, status!"

About a mile away, on one of the taller buildings in the area, Manako laid in position as she stared wide-eyed down her rifle at the sight she just saw. She couldn't believe what she was seeing and was frozen on the spot as her body trembled with fear.

"Manako! I need a status report, now!" Kuroko shouted through her earpiece with worry.

The monoeye took a moment to recompose herself as she reached for her earpiece to report her findings. "Th-Th-The team has engaged with Takahashi, b-b-b-but the explosion…" She trailed off as she tried to comprehend what she just witnessed. "…I-I-I think it was caused by Yuuto…"

* * *

Back in the warehouse, the tension was building as Yuuto and Fukuda continued to stare each other down. The revenant was seething with rage at this newest turn of events. If not for Roxanne's betrayal the blonde wouldn't be a concern right now, but as it was, the young human had now tapped into this new power of his, making the task of killing him all the more difficult. The MON agent continued to give the possessed man his death glare as the chaotic energy continued to course throughout his body and around Black Lotus. He had many questions to ask about his new abilities and even more about why he possessed them to begin with, but none of that mattered right now. The revenant in front of him posed a great threat, and right now Yuuto was the only one capable of dealing with him. Lala was still resting against the stone pillar as she looked up at her newly awakened boyfriend. She always had a feeling that he stood out amongst other mortals, and now she had an inkling as to why that was the case. Blare and Zombina were still in awe of what their squad mate had just pulled off as they tried to cope with their current injures.

"…Holy crap, Stud…" The hellhound finally uttered to herself as she tried her best to sit up straight despite the pain she was in.

The zombie just let a massive toothy grin plaster her face, proud of what her fellow squad captain had just achieved. "Beesh always has to show off, doesn't he?"

"Well, we kind of need him to right now." Blare replied offhandedly as she couldn't break her gaze away from her squad captain, letting a warm smile creep onto her lips as she did so.

Yuuto could barely contain his anger as he tried to adapt to the power causing through him, the only thing keeping him in control right now was focusing on the task at hand.

"Me Love?"

His concentration broke as he looked back at Lala, seeing her face full of worry as she continued to hold he head in her arms protectively. The MON agent couldn't bare to worry her any more than he already had, so he smiled back lovingly at her in an attempt to reassure her.

"Hey Babe, are you doing okay there?" He spoke in a caring tone, despite the reverberation of his voice caused by his surging power.

The dullahan smiled back at him lovingly as she let tears of joy trickle down her face, happy that he was still the man she loved despite his transformation. "Aye, I'll be alright." She replied as she tried to keep herself composed.

The blonde nodded back at her. "Good. Listen, it looks like shit is going to go down real soon, so I need you to get out of here and take Blare and Zee with you."

The young reaper gave him a look of worry as she placed her head back on her shoulders. "But Yuuto, despite this change in ye, ye do nay possess the ability tae send that vengeful spirit tae it's final resting place." She started as she stood to her feet, her armour, cape and hood rematerializing as she did so. "Please, allow me tae-"

"No, I need you to get Blare and Zee out of here for now, plus I don't want any of you getting hurt any more than you already have, please." He replied in a stern tone.

Lala stayed silent for a moment before nodding to him. "As ye wish, but I shall return tae assist ye in yer task o' vanquishing this deadly foe."

Fukuda stayed silent until finally, a sinister grin appeared on his face as he started laughing to himself, which caught the blonde's and dullahan's attention. "It seems like you've finally awakened, Yuuto. I hadn't actually planned on this, but it doesn't change my plans at all." He said as he brought his ethereal katana into existence once more and pointed the blade towards the young man. "You're still going to die here." He continued in a menacing tone.

Yuuto smirked back at him as he held his weapon in both hands and readied a fighting stance once more. "I don't know what's happening to me right now, but all I know is that I'm going to use it to beat you down and send you back to the other side where you belong, Fukuda." He replied confidently as the chaotic energies continued to reverberate every syllable he spoke, it was almost like a demon was speaking in unison with him.

"Don't get overconfident just because you got a power boost, Boy."

His face took on a serious look as he glanced back at his girlfriend. "Lala, go, now."

The young reaper reluctantly nodded in response as she started to make her way to their friends. The revenant took notice of this and decided that he wasn't about to let any of them leave with their lives.

"Oh, no you don't!" He yelled as he sent several ethereal tendrils surging towards the girl.

Before Lala could take notice of what was going on, Yuuto rushed in between them like a blur and simultaneously slashed through all three tendrils in an instant with Black Lotus, much to the annoyance of the possessed man. "Too slow." He said out loud as he locked eyes with the possessed man and gave him a death glare once more.

" _But how?! How has he adapted to his powers so quickly!"_ Fukuda screamed internally to himself as he stared back at the blonde with barely contained rage.

As the pair resumed their stare down, the young reaper reached both Blare and Zombina as she knelt down to the undead woman's side. "Zombina, are ye alright?" She asked in a worried tone.

"Don't worry, Headless. I've gotten through worse just fine." The redhead replied with a toothy grin.

The hellhound just barely managed to stand onto her paws before she slowly made her way to them, still clutching an arm around her chest. "We'll be fine, though I'll need you to carry Zombina out for me. I can carry her arms and weapons at the very least."

Lala nodded back at her before she wrapped an arm around Zombina's back and proceeded to help lift her to her feet. "Very well, but we must make haste. A calamity is about tae take place here."

"Yeah, sucks that I can't watch Beesh kick ass though." The zombie replied offhandedly as she was escorted out by the dullahan.

Before the group left, Blare looked back at her captain one last time and shouted to him. "Hey, Stud! Show that ghostly bastard who's boss!" She exclaimed in an attempt to psyche her captain up.

Yuuto smirked to himself at her encouraging words. "Don't worry, Trouble. We'll be back home before you know it."

The hellhound gave him a warm smile before she followed Lala and Zombina out of the warehouse. With the girls gone, the blonde could finally focus solely on the revenant in front of him. Even with his new powers, he knew that this was going to be a challenging fight.

Yuuto readied his fighting stance once more as he gave the possessed man a grim look. "Now, I think it's time I put an end to this, Fukuda. I'm not going to let you hurt anyone anymore."

In a fit of rage, the revenant shot out several more tendrils from his back and sent them rushing towards the blonde agent. "FUCK YOU, BOY! I'M GOING TO ENJOY RIPPING YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!" He shouted furiously.

As the tendrils were about to strike the young man, he dodged to the right like a flash at the last second and avoided the strikes. He then rushed towards his foe, his new powers allowing him to propel himself forwards with great speed. Fukuda barely had time to react as he raised his ethereal katana to block the strike from the MON agent's weapon. The force behind the strike was incredible and he was actually pushed back several feet by it, only just managing to stay on his feet. The revenant sent out more tendrils to strike at Yuuto, but the blonde easily repelled each successive strike with a slash of his blade with his now inhuman reactions. Yuuto surged forwards towards the possessed man once more as their katanas clashed against each other. They started to strike and parry each other with incredible speed, their attacks looking like a blur to the naked eye. Fukuda tried to blindside the young man with one of his tendrils during the flurry of attacks, but Yuuto leapt back onto the rubble behind him to avoid getting hit, only for him to jump back at his foe and deliver a roundhouse kick to the revenant's head. Fukuda looked back at him in anger and managed to swing a tendril from underneath the blonde while he was still mid-air, sending him flying into the air. Now with his target unable to dodge, he sent forth a swarm of tendrils to rip him to pieces.

"NOW DIE!"

Yuuto looked down at all the tendrils surging towards him, knowing full well that he couldn't avoid them this time. In a fit of frustration, he let out a yell of anguish, unwittingly letting out a burst of chaotic energy around him. The tendrils vaporized as they made contact with the veil of crimson lightning surrounding the MON agent. The possessed man looked up in both horror and rage at his failed attempt to kill the blonde, surprised by the outcome. Yuuto flipped mid-air and his feet landed against one of the ceiling's support beams before pushing against it and launching himself back towards his adversary, which bent the beam in the process. Fukuda quickly dodged to the side back towards the rubble as he barely avoided being struck by the agent's fist. With a menacing look on his face, he raised his katana with both hands over his head and prepared to strike down the young man.

"I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL!" The revenant screamed triumphantly, thinking his victory was at hand over him.

Yuuto was still crouched on the floor after landing from his attack, but in an instant he stood up and performed an upwards slash with Black Lotus, cleaving a long shallow gash in the possessed man's chest. Blood spilt forth from Takahashi's chest as Fukuda looked down at the injury in horror. While he was distracted, the MON agent thrust his left hand forwards and grasped the man's face hard, looking back at him with his piercing crimson gaze.

"It's over." The blonde muttered under his breath.

Suddenly he sent a surge of crimson lightning from his hand as he struck the revenant with the chaotic energy, practically electrocuting him. Fukuda screamed in agony as the energy surged through Takahashi's body until eventually the blue aura surrounding him faded and he blacked out. Satisfied, Yuuto let go of the man and let him fall onto his back onto the pile of rubble behind him. The MON agent took a few steps back and panted to himself as she crouched down onto one knee and propped himself up with his katana as he struck the tip of the blade into the concrete floor. With that, he shut his eyes for a moment and the crimson lightning that was coursing through him dissipated. His eyes opened once more and had returned to their natural blue, his pupils now back to their black orbs and the sclera their natural white. He looked down at his left hand and stared at it in awe, still unable to comprehend what he had done during that fight.

" _What the hell is happening to me?"_ He questioned to himself internally.

Before he could think on it more, he heard Fukuda's maniacal laughter once more, but it was just his voice unaccompanied by Takahashi's. Yuuto looked up to see that Gaku himself was unconscious and his body still lying on his back on top of the rubble. Slowly, an ethereal being emerged from the man's chest, its form that of a hulking monstrosity with large claws and a monstrous face with many tendrils protruding from its back. It loomed over the former Yakuza's body from his chest as it stared down at the MON agent menacingly. Yuuto knew it was Fukuda, but it didn't even look human anymore.

"It seems that Takahashi wasn't capable of handling what I had to offer, but your body… It will make a fine vessel…" It spoke in a menacing tone.

The blonde looked up in anguish and he struggled to stand himself up as he raised Black Lotus in both hands and pointed the blade at the spirit. He tried to call forth the energy that coursed through him before, but he was unable to summon it.

" _C'mon, not now!"_ Yuuto screamed at himself internally as panic began to set in.

"I WILL HAVE MY VENGEANCE, BOY, AND YOU SHALL BE THE VESSEL TO ACHIEVE IT!" Fukuda shouted as he surged all his tendrils to capture the young man.

The blonde was ready to strike at the incoming tendrils, but as they were only a few feet in front of him they suddenly froze in place, much to his confusion. Fukuda's entire form froze on the spot, unable to move for whatever reason. He could feel a searing sensation near where his being was protruding from Takahashi's chest and he looked down to find the black blade of a scythe piercing through him. Fear struck his very core as the revenant looked behind him in horror to find the young reaper from before standing atop the rubble with the scythe held in one hand, the moonlight shining behind her as the girl looked back at him with a judging gaze.

"Yer invasion o' the mortal coil ends here, Spirit." Lala spoke up in a grim tone.

Yuuto was still panting from the exhaustion that flooded his body as his face was now filled with relief at his girlfriend's return. He thought to himself that she had a knack for dramatic timing.

"NO! IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS!" Fukuda screamed as he locked eyes with the dullahan.

"A vengeful spirit like yerself does nay belong on this side. Ye have had yer time." Lala spoke in her persona as she stood there steadfast. With that, she grabbed the shaft of Crescent Shadow with both hands as prepared to cast down judgement on the ethereal being.

"I'M NOT FINISHED!" He screamed once more as he tried to lash at her with one of his claws, but he was incapable of moving the limb, unable to move an inch probably due to the sealing magic emanating from the shadowy scythe.

"Vile spirit! It is time ye faced yer eternal judgement!" The young reaper shouted as she proceeded to slash her scythe through his very being, severing his connection to Takahashi's body.

With that Fukuda's form slowly started to dissipate as he let out a scream of pain and anguish. The claw he tried to lash at the dullahan with started to slowly crumble into nothingness, as to the tendrils that tried to strike at the MON agent. It slowly dawned on the revenant that his time was finally up as his face began to dissipate.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo…"

With that, the spirit had faded from the mortal world, never to torment the living ever again. Lala smirked to herself as her armour, cape and hood, as well as Crescent Shadow, dissipated into shadows that disappeared into the night, revealing her outfit from before, her duty fulfilled for the time being. She then looked down at where her boyfriend was standing and gave him a loving smile. Yuuto stared back at her in awe as he lowered his katana to his side, amazed at what the young reaper had achieved. It didn't take him long to return a loving smile of his own, happy to see Lala once more.

"Hey Lala, took your damn time." He said to her in a loving tone as he struggled to keep himself standing.

"Me Love…" She replied as tears of joy started to trickle down her cheeks.

Suddenly the human felt himself go weak as he started to topple to one side. A shocked look appeared on Lala's face as she started to make her way down the rubble as fast as she could to be at his side. Yuuto's vision started to fade as he heard her scream his name with worry before blacking out.

* * *

Yuuto eventually regained consciousness and found himself laying on his side in a field of flowers he was all too familiar with. He was in Limbo once more, the serene scenery bringing him some peace of mind despite the fact that he was on the verge of death once more. Perhaps the power he had wielded was too much for his body to handle and so here he was, left to contemplate what had happened. As he sat himself up, he noticed that something was off. The other times he found himself in this space, Lala was already there watching over him, but as he glanced around it seemed like his girlfriend was nowhere to be seen. As he looked over his shoulder though, he saw a sight he had not expected. Sat atop a large rock that was embedded in the ground that stood only a few feet high was a woman clad in black armour with gold trimmings from the torso down. She was also wearing a large black robe with the midsection worn under her waist guard, as well as short sleeves that only reached to her elbows and a large hood obscuring her features. Her face was hidden behind a veil of shadow, the only thing protruding from it was a long white braid of hair. The scythe she held in her left hand was an imposing weapon. The shaft was made up of what looked like warped and twisted bones, and at the head of the weapon was a human skull crowned with bony hands with its jaw wide open where a large curved metallic blade protruded from it. It was obvious that this was no normal reaper, though the blonde only had Lala for comparison.

"It seems that ye have reached the end o' yer life, Mortal." The woman spoke in an Irish accent, though similar to Lala, her voice sounded more aged and weathered in comparison.

Yuuto stared wide-eyed at her for a moment before he gave her a cheeky grin. "Sorry to disappoint you, but my girlfriend should be here any minute now. Probably just collapsed from exhaustion I think." He replied as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "But I have to ask, who are you anyway?"

The reaper slammed the shaft of her scythe against the rock she was sitting on, the sound of the stone cracking underneath causing the human to flinch for a moment. The woman then stood up atop the rock as she looked down at him from behind her shadowy veil. "Ye speak tae Death Incarnate." She spoke in a grim tone.

Fear soon welled up in the core of his being and the blonde soon rushed to his feet. He took up a defensive stance as he faced the reaper in front of him. That's when he noticed the crimson lightning coursing around him once more, and unbeknownst to him, his eyes had turned crimson with slit pupils and black sclera once more. Yuuto was distracted by this as he looked himself over with a look of worry on his face, trying to figure out why this was happening to him.

"I see that ye have blood ties with the beings o' the Underworld, but that will nay save ye here." The woman spoke as she got off her rock and started to walk towards him with her scythe in hand.

The MON agent looked back at the reaper and resumed his defensive stance, trying to prevent his soul from being reaped now taking priority. "Sorry, but I still have a life to lead. I can't go with you." He replied with his voice now accompanied by the demonic echo once more. "I need to find out about what's happening to me."

"It is too late fer that, Mortal. Yer time has come." She responded as she readied her scythe for the upcoming fight, ready to take his soul to the afterlife.

"YUUTO!"

The pair were distracted from their potential confrontation as they looked behind the human to see Lala running up the hill towards them in her Limbo attire. Yuuto almost instantly calmed down as he returned to his normal state, his eyes changing back to their natural blue. He relaxed his body as he looked down at her and gave her a loving smile.

"…Lala, what are ye doing here?" The older reaper asked as she relaxed her own stance.

The younger reaper stood in between her boyfriend and the other woman and spread her arms wide in an attempt to protect him. "Mother! I canna allow ye tae reap me Love's soul, I beg o' ye!" Lala protested as she was on the verge of tears.

The blonde's eyes widened in shock at this new information. "What?! Death is your mom?!" He exclaimed in surprise, not quite believing what he just heard.

"Ye misunderstand, me Love." The young dullahan replied as she calmed herself down and looked back at him. "Death is nay a singular entity like ye mortals believe. Me people's purpose as reapers is tae maintain balance between life and death, and the strongest amongst us is named Death Incarnate. They shoulder the heaviest burden amongst us and is unflinching in their convictions. Me mother has slaved tirelessly tae maintain the balance."

"And yet ye risk tae disrupt it, all fer a single soul." The older dullahan spoke up once more. "I must fulfil me duty as Death Incarnate and reap this mortal's soul."

Instinctively Lala rushed over to Yuuto and wrapped her arms tight around his neck as she looked back at her mother with a pouty face. "I canna allow ye tae do that, Mother!" She whined as she tightened her grip on her boyfriend. "His soul is mine tae care over, and I will nay allow him tae pass over yet!"

"Yeah, can't say I'm ready to die just yet. Your daughter would never forgive me if I did." Yuuto spoke up, feeling slightly left out of the conversation that would decide his fate.

Lala's mother continued to glare at the pair unflinchingly. "Ye canna fight against the will o' the Fates. Accept the hand that ye've been dealt."

The young reaper refused to budge as she tightened her grip around the human as the blonde wrapped his arms tight around her waist. The pair stubbornly refused to accept what Death Incarnate had said to them. "If ye wish tae take his soul, then ye must take mine also." Lala replied, still pouting at her mother.

The older reaper started shaking, much to the confusion of the blonde. After a moment the shadowy veil that had covered her face dissipated and she suddenly pulled her hood back, revealing her slightly weathered face and the exact same amber orbs that Lala had. The woman looked like she was also on the verge of tears as she locked eyes with her daughter.

"Lala! Why must ye always be so stubborn?! I am merely trying tae fulfil me purpose, but ye always insist on making it more difficult than it needs tae be!" She exclaimed in a whiny tone, sounding like a child who was having a tantrum.

Lala stood there unflinching, while Yuuto stared at Death Incarnate wide-eyed in shock. _"Okay, so the embodiment of Death is a whiny mother who has a tantrum if she doesn't get her way. Not what I expected…"_ The blonde thought to himself in slight disappointment.

The younger dullahan then let go of him and made her way towards her mother. "If ye understood what me Love and I have been through, then ye'd understand why I must stand against ye on this matter!" She whined back in response. "Why must ye always try tae take away what I desire? I wish tae live me life as I wish tae! That's why I joined the Exchange Program tae begin with!"

"Ye have a responsibility as a reaper tae maintain the balance, not gallivanting off with some strange mortal I do nay know about!"

"And I do me best tae do so, but I wish fer some slither o' happiness as well!"

The pair of dullahans were bickering with each other like a pair of children, and Yuuto was starting to get annoyed with the situation. He walked up to them while they were distracted and proceeded to grab hold of their heads and lift them from their shoulders. The pair looked up at him in mild surprise as the older dullahan's scythe dissipated into nothingness.

"Me Love, what are ye doing?" Lala asked as a light blush took hold of her cheeks.

"H-H-How dare ye touch Death so casually, Mortal! I-I demand that ye return me tae me full potential this instant!" Her mother exclaimed in an embarrassed tone as her own cheeks went bright red.

With their focus now solely on him, the blonde proceeded to bring their heads together and gave them a stern look. "I know the two of you are just doing what you have to do, but it's my choice whether I'm ready to die or not." He started as he focused on his girlfriend. "Lala, I appreciate that you're trying to protect me, but your mom is obviously trying to do what is right in her eyes."

"But Yuuto-" The younger reaper said in a worried tone before being cut off.

"It's okay, I don't plan on going anywhere." He said to her with a warm smile before turning his attention to her mother. "As for you, Miss…" He trailed off, not sure how to address the current embodiment of Death.

"L-L-Lady Death shall suffice…" The older reaper replied, still embarrassed by the position she found herself in.

"Alright, Lady Death. As for you, I know you're just doing your duty, but maybe it wouldn't hurt just to let this soul return to the living world just this one time, especially if it's for your daughter's happiness. Right?" He asked her in a friendly tone.

Lady Death looked away from him and towards her daughter's head as her cheeks went a deeper shade of red. "I-I suppose yer soul still holds a strong connection tae the mortal coil. It would be unjust tae take ye before yer time…"

Lala locked eyes with her mother's as a warm smile graced her lips. "Thank ye fer sparing him, Mother. Ye canna fathom how much it means tae me."

Happy with the response, he held out Lady Death's head as her body proceeded to retrieve it and place it back on her shoulders. As she readjusted her head, she locked eyes with the human once more and gave him a look of bewilderment. "Ye certainly are a strange soul, Mortal."

Yuuto readjusted Lala's head so he held it in his arms as her body moved to his side and wrapped her arms around his closest arm. "Aye, but I would nay have him any other way." The younger dullahan replied in a loving tone as her body cuddled up closer to him.

"Yeah, and I've gotten a lot stranger with this new power-up of mine." He added as he lightly tightened his hold on her head, looking down at her lovingly as she looked up and did the same.

Lady Death couldn't help but let a warm smile cross her lips momentarily. "Very well, I shall grant ye reprieve fer now, but," She said before she rematerialized her scythe and pointed it at the human as her face took on a grim look once more. "the next time yer soul enters this domain, it will be the last time ye do so."

The blonde flinched for a moment with a look of worry on his face. "R-Right, of course…"

"I will make sure that it does nay happen, Mother." Lala added with a serious look on her face.

"And also, Mortal." The older reaper started as she locked eyes with him. "Promise that ye'll use yer power tae continue tae protect me daughter, as ye have done so far."

Yuuto returned her a determined look. "Of course, Lady Death."

Lala's mother smirked back at him. "It pleases me tae hear this." She replied before the veil of shadow covered her face once more. "Until we meet again."

With that, she turned away from them and swung her scythe in front of her. The blade opened up a rift in the space in front of her and she proceeded to walk through it. The rift soon closed behind her, leaving Yuuto and Lala alone in Limbo once more. Lala let a warm smile cross her face, happy with the outcome of their conversation, while the blonde just stood there with a look of confusion on his face.

"…Did your Mom just rip open a hole in time and space?" He asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Aye, this is normal fer her, such is the power that is wielded by Death Incarnate." The dullahan replied as her body retrieved her head from her boyfriend's arms, and soon placed it back on her shoulder.

"Yeah, remind me never to get on her bad side…"

Lala giggled to herself for a moment before she planted a kiss on his cheek. "What matters is that ye are safe now, me Love." She said before she stood right in front of him and grasped his hands tight in her own. "Now come, we must leave this place."

"Wait, don't we need to be in the river to get back from here?" Yuuto asked as he quirked an eyebrow at her.

The young reaper's cheeks went bright red as she broke eye contact with him. "…I only did that before because it felt romantic tae do so…" She replied in an embarrassed tone.

The blonde smirked back at her before he pecked her cheek lovingly. "You really are too damn cute sometimes."

As she locked eyes with him once more and gave him a loving smile, pillars of light started to spring from the ground around them and soon threatened to engulf them. She then pressed her lips to his and gave him a loving kiss before they were fully engulfed by the light, ready to be whisked away back to the realm of the living.

Yuuto shut his eyes to block the light, and as soon as he felt it was safe to do so he opened them again, cracking them open slightly to see a pair of fluorescent light above him on the ceiling. He now found himself lying in a hospital bed, wearing a tacky hospital robe to cover his modesty. He had bandages wrapped around his forehead, his arms and around his chest as well as a plaster on his left cheek. He glanced to his left to see Lala sitting to the side of his bed with her hands resting on the bed rails looking down at him lovingly, happy to see him awake finally. Zombina was standing behind her wearing her MON combat fatigues, leaning her back against the wall with her arms crossed under her chest as she gave him her signature grin. He noticed two fresh set of stitches on her forearms where they had been reattached from their most recent injuries.

"Yuuto, are ye alright?" The dullahan asked with a hint of worry as she leaned in closer to him, being careful not to let her head fall from her shoulders.

The blonde smiled back at her as he slowly sat himself up straight, groaning in pain before Lala got to her feet and assisted him so he was sat up straight with his back now resting against the headrest. "Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just that my everything hurts right now."

Lala smiled back at him as she moved in closer and wrapped her arms around him and gave him a light hug, which he reciprocated as he wrapped his arms lightly around her chest. "It is good tae see ye back with us." She replied in a loving tone as she nuzzled her cheek against his.

"It's good to be back." He replied as he did the same.

"Damn, Beesh, I knew you were a badass, but you just took it to the next level back there." Zombina spoke up as she moved from the wall and stood to the side of the bed next to Lala. "How long have you been able to do that?"

Lala pulled away from her boyfriend as Yuuto looked up at the redhead with a confused look on his face. "I don't even know what it is that I did, it just happened."

"Well, make it happen more often if you can!" She exclaimed excitedly. "It was almost like watching a Dragonball Z fight!"

"Yeah, except it doesn't get dragged out over several weeks."

The zombie couldn't help but let out a gut-wrenching laugh as she grabbed a hold of her sides. "Damn right it didn't. It was over in a few minutes from what I was told, it'll definitely come in handy for us!"

Just as they were talking, Ms Smith came into the room, followed closely by Dr Suzu Tamura holding a chart in her hands. The government agent looked towards him and gave him a friendly smile as she waved at him. "Bishie-kun, good to see you're finally awake. How're you feeling?"

"Like I ran through a brick wall whilst being electrocuted." He replied sarcastically. "Other than that, I'm just fine."

"Well, you're lucky you're not any more injured than you already are, Kazama." Suzu interjected as she moved to the foot of the bed and looked over her clipboard. "Other than a few fractured bones in your arms and legs, as well as some minor bruising, you're the picture of health. Though I took the liberty of doing a blood test, and you might be surprised with the results."

"Let me guess, I'm not completely human, am I?" He asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Nay mere mortal could have achieved what ye did, me Love." Lala interjected as she placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

"You'd be correct in your assumptions. From what I've found you're in fact half liminal and compared to what we have from our records, you seem to be half devil, likely of the elder subspecies from what your squad mates have told us." Suzu explained to him.

Yuuto clenched his fist as he looked down at it with anger written all over his face. "Which means it's something else Dad has been hiding from me and Hikari all our lives. Fucking bastard…"

"Well, you won't know for certain until you confront him about it." Kuroko piped up as she removed her sunglasses to lock eyes with the blonde agent. "What's important right now is that this now makes you a Hybrid, a human that possesses inhuman qualities like superior strength and the like."

"Is that the official term, Ma'am?"

"Technically the politically correct term is Generational Demi-human, but that's a bit of a mouth full." She answered as she kept a serious look on her face. "This could have serious ramifications on the Interspecies Exchange Bill seeing that there's no mention of hybrids in the accord at all, which makes you a loophole in the system."

The hybrid quirked an eyebrow at his superior. "Loophole? Then does that mean-"

"None of the restrictions between humans and liminals apply to you or any other hybrid right now." Smith interrupted with a smirk on her face. "This could be the break we're looking for."

"Ms Smith," Lala interjected as she locked eyes with the government agent. "Does that mean that Yuuto and I can truly forge our union?" She asked with hope-filled eyes.

"Eventually, yes, and that's what I wanted to talk to the two of you about." She replied as she put her sunglasses back on and moved to the foot of the bed. "There's a good possibility that we can get the two of you to move in together. Lala, you would still be part of the program, but you wouldn't be an exchange student like you were before. The two of you would technically be in a civil partnership."

"Hold up a sec. As much as I'd love Lala to move in with me, I don't think I'd be a very good host with being stuck at work for a good chunk of the day." Yuuto said, voicing his concerns.

"Which is why I have a proposal for our young reaper."

Lala's eyes shot wide open. "What would ye ask o' this Spectre o' Death?"

Kuroko smirked back at her as she lowered her sunglasses to lock eyes with her. "I'd like you to join MON."

The pair stared wide-eyed at the government agent in surprise, not quite believing what she just said. Even Zombina wasn't sure what to make of this development. Wait, are you serious about his, Boss?" The redhead questioned.

"Deadly serious. From what I saw and heard tonight, MON is currently woefully unprepared for spiritual threats." Kuroko started as she took her sunglasses off again and focused on the young reaper. "Lala, you've proved that you're capable of dealing with such a threat, not to mention the combat prowess you've shown so far is exactly what we're looking for right now. Takahashi's possession may be the first we have on record, but I'm certain it won't be the last. Lala O'Reilly, I would like to officially offer you the position of Task Force Agent of MON's Squad Alpha. Would you accept?"

The dullahan was left speechless from what Ms Smith had just said, though as Yuuto glanced to his side, he saw that her cheeks had gone bright red, accompanied by a look of embarrassment on her face. The zombie was snickering to herself for a moment before she let out another gut-wrenching laugh.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! O'REILLY, REALLY?! THAT'S THE MOST GENERIC IRISH SURNAME I EVER HEARD!" She exclaimed loudly as she continued to laugh to herself, holding her sides tight once more to prevent her stitches from coming undone.

"…I had nay choice in the name I was given when I came intae this world…" Lala said in an embarrassed tone as she tried to hide her face behind her scarf.

Yuuto looked up at her and gave her a warm smile. "Well, I honestly think it's kind of cute."

The young reaper's cheeks went a brighter shade of red before she pressed herself up against him and buried her face in his chest as her hands clutched had his hospital robe, letting out an embarrassed groan as she did so. The blonde couldn't help but smirk to himself as he began to stroke her hair gently.

"I'll do it." Lala muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear.

The hybrid looked down at his girlfriend with a look of concern on his face. "Babe, no one is pressuring you into joining-"

"I must." She interjected as she looked up at him with a determined look on her face. "Ms Smith is right. What if something like this happens again? As a Spectre o' Death I canna allow that tae happen." She then got off of him and turned to face the raven-haired woman. "And I would gladly do anything tae be with me Love."

Ms Smith smiled at the dullahan as she put her sunglasses back on. "Excellent, you have no idea how much help you'll be for us."

"Aye but understand that I must still perform me duties as a Spectre o' Death." Lala replied as she entered her reaper persona.

"Of course, I would hate to get on your mother's bad side. We can sort out the details another time, but for now, we should get you back home and talk it over with your soon to be former host Darling-kun. There'll be a lot of paperwork to go through." Kuroko explained.

"As ye wish, Ms Smith." She answered with a curt nod before returning to Yuuto to give him a light hug goodbye, which he reciprocated. "Farewell fer now, me Love. Please get better soon."

"See you soon, Lala." He replied in a loving tone.

She pulled back slightly and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before she got up and started following Ms Smith out of the room.

"See you later, Bishie-kun. Try not to take too long healing up." The government agent said while waving a hand at him.

"Seeya later, Beesh!" Zombina exclaimed as she did the same.

"Well, I best let you heal up for now," Suzu started as she was about to make her way out too. "plus, I should let the others see how you're doing." As she made her way out, she looked to her left and let a smile creep onto her face. "You girls can go see him now."

Yuuto had a look of confusion on his face before he saw Blare's face peek around the corner of the room, along with Kasumi, Kestria and Raia as well. The hellhound let a massive grin plaster her face as she wasted no time dashing into the room.

"Stud, you're okay!" She exclaimed joyfully.

Before he could respond, Yuuto felt her press up against him and wrap her arms tightly around his neck, soon followed by her nuzzling her cheek against his. The blonde reciprocated the hug as he wrapped an arm tightly around her back and used his free hand to stroke her hair comfortingly.

"It's good to see you too, Blare." He replied in a soothing tone in an attempt to calm her down.

By this point, Kasumi, Kestria and Raia were now standing at the foot of the bed, all three of them with warm smiles on their faces. "It is good to see that you are alive and well, Senpai." Kasumi said as her cheeks went a slight tint of red.

"Yeah, Hotshot. You had us all worried there for a bit." Kestria added as he held her wings behind her back with a smirk forming on her lips.

"Seems like we can't take our eyes off you for a second, Medjay." Raia added as she crossed her arms under her chest, also smirking at him.

"Yeah, not like I planned on being kidnapped or anything." He joked in response as he continued to allow Blare to cuddle up to him. "Just glad that everything worked out in the end."

The hellhound eventually broke free from the hug and gave him a look that was half annoyance and half worry as her flame lashes ignited from the corners of her eyes. "You had us worried sick you know! You're lucky that Vee found where you were when she did, otherwise you'd be mincemeat right about now!" She exclaimed as she threatened to burst into tears.

"Oh, so Vee did figure out how to use my phone tracker then. Makes sense how you girls showed up so fast."

"Yes, it seems that she did it purely from the memories she got from you." The empusa of the group explained to her squad captain.

Yuuto smirked to himself at that little factoid. "Looks like I owe her a caffeine day."

"I've been wondering," Kestria spoke up. "what exactly happened in there? Blare gave us a quick rundown, but she was vague on the details."

"From what I could make out, you were dealing with some sort of spirit that had a grudge against you?" Raia asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Long story short, he wanted to kill me to get at my dad. But when he tried to hurt Lala…" The blonde trailed off as he recalled the events that led to his awakening.

Suddenly, as he recalled Fukuda trying to kill his girlfriend, the chaotic energy from before flickered to life and started coursing through him once more, causing his squad mates to jump back from the bed in shock. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them once more to reveal that they had taken on their demonic crimson form. The girls stared at him in awe, amazed by the sudden transformation. Blare ended up grinning widely as she made her way to her captain's side once more.

"Holy crap check it out! He has the same eyes as me now!" She exclaimed excitedly as she turned to face the others and pressed her cheek against his, which she would soon regret.

As soon as she made contact with him, the hellhound's cheek was shocked by the crimson lightning coursing through the hybrid, causing her to jump back with a yelp. She rubbed her cheek with one hand as she gave Yuuto a look of annoyance. "What the hell was that for, Stud?!" She exclaimed, feeling slightly hurt by the act.

"Hey, I didn't do anything, I swear!" The blonde yelled in response as he waved his hands at her apologetically, though the girls apart from Blare weren't prepared for the demonic echo that now accompanied his speech.

"Damn, Hotshot, you even sound like a badass now." The raptor harpy commented in amazement.

"I'm not sure if anyone else noticed, but Senpai only transformed after he got upset about something." Kasumi explained to the group.

"Maybe he can only activate it through negative emotions." The mummy surmised out loud.

Yuuto lifted his hands in front of him as he saw the chaotic energy coursing through his hands with a bewildered look on his face. "I suppose it makes sense. When I saw Fukuda try to harm Lala, I just snapped, and this happened. According to Dr Tamura, I'm able to do this because I'm apparently half elder devil or something like that."

"Well, if nothing else we've got ourselves a walking talking taser now." Kestria teased as she smirked at her squad captain once.

"…Yeah, I don't know how I should feel about that…"

"I do have one question though." The empusa spoke up to grab everyone's attention. "Do you know how to deactivate this transformation?"

"That's a good point. I'd rather not get shocked all the time if it can be helped…" Blare whiled as she pouted to herself.

An idea popped into the blonde's head from what Raia had said. If it could be activated through negative emotions, then technically he could deactivate it if he thought of something positive. With that in mind he shut his eyes and thought back to the day he and Lala confessed to one another and remembered the joy they felt. Suddenly the chaotic energy dissipated and as he opened his eyes they returned to their natural blue. He smirked to himself, happy that his plan actually worked. At least he now had some way of controlling it.

"Figures you'd get to grips with it so quickly." Raia said as she gave him a warm smile.

"You never cease to amaze me, Senpai." Kasumi added as she did the same.

"And here I was starting to get used to Devil Yuuto too." Kestria said with a hint of disappointment.

"Devil Yuuto?" The hybrid asked as he quirked an eyebrow at his harpy squadmate.

"Well, what else are you going to call it?" She replied as she gave him a teasing wink.

"Ooh, I know! Let's call it his Devil Trigger!" Blare exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, I think Capcom might have an issue with that." Yuuto interjected. "How about I just called it my Devil Mode for now?"

The raptor harpy started giggling to herself, much to the annoyance of her squad captain. "Sorry Hotshot, but you really suck at naming stuff."

"It is a shame. I would've thought a bright mind like yours could at least come up with something more creative." Raia added with a teasing grin on her face.

Kasumi shook her head in disappointment. "Such a waste."

The blonde furrowed his eyebrows at his squad mates. "Do you girls always have to gang up on me like this?"

"Wouldn't be much fun if we didn't, plus you love it, Stud." The hellhound responded as she gave him a wide grin and a wink.

He let out an exasperated sigh before he gave the girls a warm smile, which they all returned. "Thanks for coming to visit, girls. I really need the pick me up after what happened." He said before letting out a loud yawn. "Damn, I still feel so exhausted."

"We'd better let you rest now." The mummy replied as she walked to the side of his bed and gave him a light hug, which he reciprocated. "You'd better get better soon, Medjay."

"I'll try."

With that, Raia broke the hug and started making her way out of the room. "C'mon ladies, let's get going. Our dear captain needs some shut eye."

"But we only just got here!" Blare whined, not wanting to leave yet.

The mummy gave her hellhound squad mate a sadistic smirk as she extended one of her wrapping from her hand. "I will whip you if you don't move it."

Blare flinched at the remark. "Alright, fine! I'll go!" She exclaimed before she moved to her captain's side and gave him another hug. "Take care, Stud." She added before reluctantly letting go of him to follow Raia out.

"Yeah, take it easy, Hotshot." Kestria said as she waved a wing at him.

"We'll be looking forward to your safe return, Senpai." Kasumi added as she bowed to him, before following the rest of the squad out of the room.

"See you soon, girls. And try not to cause too much trouble." Yuuto replied as he waved them off.

With the group now gone, the hybrid was left to his thoughts once more. He now had some inkling of what he was, but he wouldn't be happy until he had actual confirmation, which would mean having to confront his father after all these years. The mere thought of him triggered his Devil Mode once more, his body swathed in the chaotic energy and his eyes now a devilish crimson. He clenched his right fist as he felt the crimson lightning course through him.

" _Guess I can't avoid him forever…"_ He thought to himself as he tried to suppress his anger.

Sooner or later, Yuuto would have to discover the truth of what he truly is. He just hoped that it would be worth it in the end.

* * *

 **A/N: This has probably been the most dramatic chapter I've written for this story, both part 1 and part 2. I know that I haven't gone into too much detail about how or why he's part devil now, but the next chapter I have coming up should explain more on that. For now, just know that he'll be kicking ass with the best of them now.**

 **The other new addition to the story is Lady Death. I wanted to expand on Lala's backstory a bit more, and how can I make it more interesting than making her the daughter of the nearest thing to the actual Grim Reaper that exists in this story. Again I'll expand on this in a later chapter down the line.**

 **As always, Follow/favourite/review/make suggestions as per usual. Thanks again for reading the latest chapter and I'll see you next time!**


	41. Facing your Demons

**A/N: Before you ask, yes, I'm still alive. I just had a hard time deciding on what route to take this chapter, and I just hope it turned out well. Other than that, I plan on doing a Halloween special after this. Seeing that Lala is playing a big role in this story now, I'll let you guess what it'll be based on. Anyway, hope you enjoy the new chapter and don't forget to follow and/or favourite if you want to keep up to date. Thanks for reading as always and I'll see you in the next chapter.**

* * *

A couple of weeks had passed since the raid in Koto ward and Yuuto was finally well enough to leave the hospital. During the time he was immitted there, he took the chance to get accustomed to his new devil powers while no one was looking. Having a private room certainly helped in that regard. He noticed that when he was in his 'Devil Mode' his vision became sharper, his senses were quicker to react to outside stimuli, and he could also feel the increased strength in his muscles due to the chaotic energy that coursed through them. Right now, he had almost no control over the amount of energy that coursed throughout him, which he quickly found out could give someone a nasty shock if they got too close to him, something he'd need to get to grips with as soon as he could.

During his time in the hospital his younger sister, Hikari, had come to visit him on several occasions to check up on her precious older brother. She was initially shocked when she found out from him that they were part elder devil, but Yuuto was quick to reassure her that everything would be alright and that she probably would never have to worry about going through the same thing that he did. The problem was that they had no concrete information about what they truly were, and the only person that would be able to tell them was their father, the man that they had come to despise. Through many discussions, the MON agent finally managed to convince her to come with him to confront their father about what lay hidden within both of them, though the chance of reconciling with the man was still very slim even after all these years. Even though they were both hesitant about the idea, it had come to the point that they couldn't ignore it any longer, they had to know the truth.

* * *

The pair now found themselves driving towards the Kazama Family HQ in Shinjuku ward in one of the ICEP black sedans that Yuuto had borrowed. The atmosphere in the vehicle was tense, the hybrid's body ridged as he focused solely on reaching their destination. Hikari sat quietly in the front passenger seat, not wanting to say anything that could set her brother off. As they stopped at a set of lights, the MON agent couldn't help but think about all the bad memories he had of their father, the way he treated them after their mother left to go back to the USA. He didn't treat him like they were his own children, instead, he treated them like his successors to the Yakuza clan the family had built up over the decades since their grandfather's youth. Just the thought of it had him on the tipping point of unconsciously triggering his devil mode, but before he realised it he felt a hand grasp at his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. He glanced to his side to see his sister giving him a reassuring smile.

"It's going to be okay, Yuu-nii. I'll be here with you." She said in an attempt to calm him down.

Yuuto couldn't help but smile back at her as he let his mind and body relax slightly. "Thanks, Hikari. I knew bringing you along would be a good idea." He replied as he focused his eyes on the road once more and continued to drive the vehicle.

"No problem, but are you sure you really want to do this? How will Dad react when we show up out of the blue like this?" She asked in a worried tone.

"You know how bloated his ego is. He'll probably see this as us 'coming to our senses' after all these years. All we're here for is to discover what we really are, nothing more." He replied in a more serious tone.

"I know, but sometimes I just wish we could be a family again…"

Yuuto sighed to himself in annoyance. "Hikari, you know he and Grandpa won't leave the Yakuza, ever." He stayed silent for a moment, noticing the downcast look on his sister's face. He couldn't bear to see her so sad, so he decided to try and cheer her up as best as he could. "Besides, we still got Mom's side of the family. I was actually talking to her on Skype the other week while I was staying at Kimihito's place. She wants us to come over to Idaho for Christmas if you're up for it."

Hikari's face instantly brightened up as she turned to face her brother once more. "Of course, I'd love to go!" She exclaimed excitedly before just realising. "But, I'll need to stay here in Japan, seeing I'm hosting for Mireille still."

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure Kasumi would love to cover for you while we're gone." The hybrid replied with a smirk on his face.

Hikari couldn't help but giggle to herself. "That's a good point. Those two have really become a pair of love bugs recently, it's so adorable to see Mireille swoon every time I mention her."

"Then that's one problem settled, I'll talk to Smith about it when I get back to work."

"That would be great. I can't remember the last time I saw Grandma and Grandpa Marshall."

"Yeah, seems like a lifetime ago now…" Yuuto trailed off, reminiscing their childhood days before their mother left for America.

Before they realised it they arrived at their destination on the left. Yuuto parked the car next to the curb and stopped just in front of the building. The building just looked like a typical five-story office building, though it had a tall wall surrounding it with a metal gate providing the only access to it, which had a pair of security cameras manned at either side of it. The pair got out of the car and Yuuto immediately made his way to the trunk of the vehicle. He opened it up and pulled Black Lotus from it, much to the surprise of his sister.

"Why did you bring Dad's katana with you?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Can't be too careful with the Yakuza, plus it might help us get in." He replied, smiling back at her as he shut the lid of the trunk and locked the vehicle.

With that, the Kazama siblings made their way to the gate and the cameras on either side of it immediately trained in on them. With a confident smirk, he raised the sheathed weapon above his head and looked up at one of the cameras.

"Hey! We're here to see our dad, so open up!" He shouted as loud as he could.

He was greeted with silence, but after a moment the gate started to slide open for them. Yuuto then lowered his katana and tied it to his belt before both he and Hikari walked through the gate. As the gate began to close behind them, several men came out from the front entrance of the building to greet them, all of which were wearing black suits with white button-up shirts underneath and black polished shoes. The man leading the group was tall and had slicked-back grey hair, brown eyes and looked like a grizzled veteran from a war. He wore his suit neatly with a red tie tied around his neck. The other two men behind him wore their suits more loosely, neither of them wearing a tie and both had the top button of their shirts undone. The one on the left had short brown hair, blue eyes and looked like his was around the same age as Hikari. The man on the right had messy black hair and green eyes, with stubble on his face and a long scar going down his face from the base of his forehead, across the bridge of his nose, all the way down to his left cheek.

The scarred man looked at the pair of blondes with a smug grin on his face. "Well, looky here! Looks like Lil' Bro and Lil' Sis finally decided to come back after all these years!" He exclaimed in a cocky tone.

"Shut it, Araki." The man leading the group interjected. "We're only here to escort them to the Boss, so you'd do well to keep to yourself."

"Oh, C'mon, Mukai. It's like a family reunion here, just letting them know how much we've missed them." Araki replied in a sarcastic tone.

Mukai just sighed to himself as he focused his attention on the Kazama siblings once more. "I apologise for his behaviour. If you'd kindly follow me, I'll take you to the Boss and your father." He said before he started to guide them inside.

Yuuto nodded in response and placed a hand on his sister's back to make sure she was right by his side. "Hikari, stay close to me, okay?" He said to her in a hushed tone.

"Will do." She replied quietly as they started to follow Mukai inside.

The two younger Yakuza filed in behind the siblings as the group started making their way to where their Boss was. They made their way to the elevator and filed in before Mukai pressed the button for the top floor. As they were standing inside Yuuto noticed that Araki was standing right behind his sister with his eyes locked on her, noticing the perverse grin on his face. The blonde kept to himself for now, but if that man tried to do anything to Hikari he'd be giving him more than just a piece of his mind. They heard a ding and the elevator doors opened up, finally arriving on the top floor of the building. The group stepped out and headed towards the main office on the floor, presumably where the siblings' father and grandfather were. Araki seemed to be right on Hikari's heels as his grin grew wider.

"I gotta say, the two of you have grown up a fair bit since we last saw you, and what a fine young woman you've become." The scarred man said in a lecherous tone, causing the girl's skin to crawl.

"That's my sister you're talking about, so watch it." The hybrid interjected in an annoyed tone.

"And the Boss' granddaughter I may add, so cut the crap." Mukai added as he tried to keep an even tone.

"How can I? She's an absolute bombshell." He replied as he started to reach a hand towards her. "I mean, look at those-"

The man had been cut off as a fist coursing with chaotic energy collided with his cheek. Yuuto had finally lost his patience and the anger welling up inside him had subconsciously triggered his devil mode. Araki was sent flying and collided with the wall which cracked on impact before falling to the floor, now clutching at his face as he lay on his side curled up in agony. During her visits to the hospital, Hikari had seen her brother's transformation and so she wasn't surprised by it, but to see it happen so suddenly still made her feel uneasy, considering she was told how dangerous it could be. The brown-haired Yakuza had a terrified look on his face after witnessing the current proceedings, not expecting such a devastating attack from the blonde hybrid. Mukai merely looked back at his scarred associate now curled up on the floor and shook his head in disappointment. He then locked eyes on the MON agent and gave him a knowing look, seemingly unsurprised by his transformation.

"I take it that's the reason you came here today?" He asked in a calm tone.

Yuuto looked back at the man in confusion while still in his devil mode. "You know about this?" He asked, puzzled that the man hardly reacted to his transformation.

"I should hope so." He replied with a smirk.

Just then a flash of crimson came from the man as he was swathed in the same chaotic energy that Yuuto possessed, and soon extra appendages fazed into existence from his person. A pair of black gnarled horns protruded from the sides of his head that curved forwards with the tips pointing upwards, as well as a pair of black bat-like wings unfurled from his back and a long thick black spade-tipped tail. Yuuto and Hikari were slightly taken aback by the man's transformation, but the brown-haired Yakuza didn't seem phased by it.

"I am an elder devil too after all." Mukai answered as he continued to stare at the MON agent.

The group heard a grunt of pain from Araki's direction and saw that he too now had purple horns protruding from his head, as well as a pair of purple bat-like wings from his back and a thick purple spade-tipped tail, as well as being swathed with the same chaotic energy. The man struggled to get up onto his feet as he stared daggers at the MON agent.

"You bastard! I don't care who you are, no one makes a fool out of me!" He yelled as he started to charge at the hybrid.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, ARAKI!" Mukai shouted with a booming voice as crimson lightning swathed the area around him, now emanating an intimidating aura.

The younger Yakuza froze in place, now seemingly losing the will to fight as he stared back at his superior with fear in his eyes.

The older Yakuza cleared his throat in an attempt to calm himself down before looking back at his subordinate. "I suggest that you go back downstairs and keep an eye on things there." He said in a commanding tone.

Araki stood there for a moment as his anger threatened to boil over, but instead of attempting to go after Yuuto he huffed to himself and walked off back towards the elevator. "Whatever, I have better things to do anyway." With that, he entered the elevator and the doors began to close behind him, though he let his annoyance towards the blonde known before they closed fully. "Fucking half-breed scum."

With the door fully closed, Hikari and the brown-haired Yakuza let out a sigh of relief with the potential confrontation now averted, and Yuuto calmed himself down so he was no longer in his devil mode. The MON agent locked eyes with Mukai once more with a serious expression on his face.

"Is everyone in this group a devil?"

The older Yakuza shook his head in response. "The majority of our members are devils, but we do have humans amongst our ranks as well." He answered as he looked over towards his subordinate. "Ose here was thrown out of his home for constantly getting caught up in street fights. The Boss recognised his talents and brought him into the fold."

Ose dipped his head in respect. "I had nowhere else to go, and the Kazama family brought me in without a second thought. I will admit that discovering that most of the members weren't human was jarring at first, but they respected me for who I was a hell of a lot more than my blood relatives ever did." He said in a solemn tone.

Mukai smirked to himself for a moment before he continued to lead the group to their destination, now donning his human disguise once more as his devil features seemed to phase out of existence. "We shouldn't keep the Boss waiting, he gets very impatient."

As the group started moving again, Hikari moved to her brother's side once more and looked up at him with worry. "Yuu-nii, you going to be okay?"

Yuuto glanced down at her and gave her a warm smile as he placed a hand on top of her head to help reassure her. "Yeah, I'll be fine, so don't worry."

She couldn't help but smile back at him at his comforting words and started to gently nuzzle her head against his hand. "Alright but promise me that you'll try to keep your cool in there."

The MON agent's smile faded as he looked away from her. "I'll try, but I can't make any promises…"

The group finally made it to the main office that the Boss resided in, and Mukai gestured for them to wait a moment as he knocked the door and let himself in. The Kazama siblings were getting tense while they were waiting, while Ose stood to the side of the door and prepared to keep watch. After a moment, Mukai opened the door and gestured the pair to come inside. Yuuto and Hikari nodded in response and made their way inside. The room they entered had a pair of small windows lining the left side of the room, and all the walls were lined with what looked like mahogany wooden panels, all of which were adorned with framed slogans as well as a myriad of Japanese décor. The right side of the room was lined with bookshelves while there was a small marble table at the centre of the room with two black leather couches on either side of it, as well as a large desk with a black leather seat behind it at the far end of the room. Sat behind the desk was a broad-shouldered man that looked like he was in his seventies wearing a white suit with a black button-up shirt and a red tie, as well as a pair of black polished shoes. He had brown eyes and a neatly trimmed white beard lining his face. His head was bald at the top, but the sides and back were still lined with short white hair. Standing to the side of the desk was a man with brown eyes, shoulder-length black hair and a neatly trimmed black beard wearing a grey suit with a white button-up shirt underneath with the top button undone, a pair of black polished shoes and a gold chain around his neck. These men were their grandfather and father respectively, the older man giving them a neutral look, while the younger man gave them a victorious looking smirk.

"Well, it seems like the two of you have finally come to your senses after all these years." Their father said in a confident tone as he began to walk towards his children.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Takahiro." Their grandfather interjected as he stood to his feet and made his way to the pair, causing his son to stop where he stood. "We can't say for certain why they've come back after so long," He continued before focusing his attention towards his grandchildren, giving them a warm smile. "It is good to see that you both are doing well."

Yuuto gave his grandfather a respectful nod while Hikari couldn't help but walk up to the man with a warm smile of her own and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest as the man returned the hug. "It's good to see you too, Grandpa." She replied in a caring tone as she fought to hold back her tears.

While this was going on Takahiro approached his son with a confident smirk on his face still, while the MON agent just scowled at him in return. "No need to be shy, Yuuto. We're all family after all." The younger Yakuza said, acting as if there was no bad blood between them.

"Don't even try to act like nothing's happened, Dad." Yuuto replied in a serious tone as he continued to give his father a scowl.

Takahiro glanced down as he noticed his old katana strapped to his son's belt, which only caused his grin to widen. "Oh, and I see you brought Black Lotus with you too. This is very promising."

"Don't get full of yourself. Hikari and I aren't here for the reason you think we are." Yuuto replied with venom in his tone of voice.

"That's enough, both of you." The Yakuza boss interjected as he broke the hug with his granddaughter, giving the pair a disapproving look. "I expect the two of you to keep things civil in my presence."

They both glanced at him and nodded in response before Takahiro stepped back and made his way to sit down on one of the couches by the marble table. The older Yakuza nodded back at them with a smile on his face as he made his way to sit next to his son before turning his attention towards his grandchildren. "Yuuto, Hikari. Please feel free to take a seat." He told them as he gestured a hand towards the opposite couch before speaking up towards Mukai, who was still standing by the door to the room. "Mukai, would you be so kind and make tea for all of us?"

"Of course, Boss." His subordinate answered with a respectful bow before he made his way out of the room to do so.

As the man walked out, Hikari made her way to her brother's side and grabbed hold of his wrist, earning his attention. "Yuu-nii, let's just sit down already." She said in a worried tone.

Yuuto gave her a brief glance before sighing to himself. "Alright." He barely muttered as he tried to calm himself down, causing his sister to smile back at him.

The siblings took their seats facing opposite their father and grandfather before Hikari let go of her brother's wrist. The Yakuza boss cleared his throat before speaking to his grandchildren once more. "So, tell me, what brings the two of you here after all this time? It must be dreadfully important seeing you made the effort despite leaving on such bad terms."

Takahiro smirked to himself. "It's obvious that they've seen the error of their ways and wish to re-join the fold, which I'm more than willing to accept." He interjected in a smug tone.

Yuuto was losing his patience with his father and gave him a piercing glare as his devil mode triggered by itself, the chaotic energy now coursing throughout his body and his eyes taking on their demonic form. "We didn't come back here to join you. I was told the other day that I'm possibly part elder devil, and we're here to confirm if it's true, and to find out why you never told us we were hybrids." He responded in an angry tone, trying to hold back his rage.

His father and grandfather hardly reacted to the sudden transformation, and the younger Yakuza started laughing to himself after a moment, earning a look of confusion from his children. He calmed down after a few seconds as he locked eyes with his son once more. "Finally, after all these years you've finally awakened. I just knew there was some potential within you."

The Yakuza boss kept a neutral look on his face as he looked towards his granddaughter. "Hikari, are you able to do the same?"

She gave him a despondent look and shook her head in response.

Her grandfather glanced towards his son, who in response nodded back at him with a smirk on his face. They both stood up as they looked down at the siblings. "I believe it's about time that you two knew the truth." He said to them as both his and Takahiro's bodies were now crackling with chaotic energy.

Soon, extra appendages fazed into existence on both men. They both had large crimson horns protruding from the sides of their heads, both curling around the crown of their heads and curving up from their foreheads into elongated tips. Large crimson bat-like wings unfurled from their backs, as well as long thick crimson spade-tipped tails. Yuuto just kept his eyes locked with his father's as he continued to give him a piercing gaze, while Hikari sat there with a frightened look on her face, shocked that the two men that had played a big part in her upbringing had turned out to be devils this whole time. Eventually, the Yakuza boss and his first lieutenant took their seats as they calmed the chaotic energies within them with practised ease. Before anyone else could speak up, Mukai came back into the room holding a tray with four glazed ceramic mugs, all filled with herbal tea. The subordinate quickly made his way to the marble table and silently placed a mug in front of everyone.

"Thank you, Mukai. Now, if you'd care to excuse yourself, we have personal family matters to discuss." The Yakuza boss said to him in a commanding tone.

"As you wish." Mukai replied with a respectful bow before he excused himself and left the room as quickly as he came in.

With that, Yuuto's and Hikari's grandfather focus his attention back to them as he leaned forward in his seat with his hands clasped together under his chin and his wings furled behind his back. "Now, tell me, what do the two of you know about devils?"

The MON agent was first to speak up. "From what I know from the ICEP, devils aren't natural surface-dwellers like most species, yet they enjoy nothing more than to torment other species when given the chance, though my knowledge of elder devils specifically is somewhat limited."

The man nodded in response. "I would expect as much. Out of all the devil species, we elder devils tend to keep to ourselves, for the most part, only interacting with the other species when needed, yet ironically most myths and legends associated with the Devil derive from our deeds." He explained to them matter-of-factly.

"And you also have the honour of being members of one of the great Devil Houses." Takahiro interjected with a smug look on his face.

Hikari quirked an eyebrow at her father. "Houses? Like in Game of Thrones?"

"Indeed." The Yakuza boss answered before taking a sip of his tea. "There are many different houses that make up the governing bodies of the Demonic Realms, though four houses stand above the rest to rule over them. Houses Satan, Beelzebub, Lucifer, and the one that we belong to, Diablo. They take on different responsibilities, but our house is responsible for maintaining relations with the other species. This may surprise you, but I am currently the head of House Diablo."

Both of the Kazama siblings had shocked looks on their faces upon hearing this, though Yuuto quickly recomposed himself. "So, does that make this whole Yakuza business a cover-up then?"

"Yes and no. We didn't wish to stand out too much to the humans when we initially founded the group. There would've been mass hysteria if people knew devils suddenly came into the world, though with this whole business with the Exchange Bill, I suppose the cover is not as important now. But this Yakuza business has proven profitable to us, so it would be a waste to give up on it now." Their grandfather explained with a smirk on his face.

Their father then interjected as the grin on his face widened. "Either way, it's important that we keep the bloodline going, which is why I'm so elated to see you, my dear children, once more. Relations between human and devil-kind would surely benefit if the two of you reunited with us once more."

The blonde agent slammed his chaos-imbued fist into the marble table, causing his corner of the table to crumble into pieces whilst sending the tea on the table flying. Hikari flinched and backed away from him slightly as their father and grandfather stared at him, unintimidated by his outburst. Yuuto locked eyes with his father once more, giving the man another death glare.

"You expect us to believe that bullshit?" He said in an angry tone. "I don't care for your reasons, but you must be out of your mind if you think we'll come back just like that."

Takahiro was starting to lose his patience and stood to his feet, giving his son a stern look. "Listen here, boy. You and Hikari wouldn't even be here if not for me, so you better damn well get in line and-"

"AND WHAT?!" Yuuto yelled as he also stood to his feet, holding Black Lotus in its sheath in his right hand. "YOU EXPECT US TO BOW TO YOUR WHIM AFTER ALL THE SHIT YOU PUT US THROUGH?! YOU CAN GO BURN IN HELL FOR ALL I CARE!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" The Yakuza boss yelled at the top of his lungs.

The pair both turned their gazes towards him to see the devil swathed in arcs of chaotic energy, looking back at them with a look of fury. Hikari was huddled up in her seat on the couch, frightened stiff by what was happening. Yuuto caught this in the corner of his eye and was immediately filled with guilt for acting the way he did.

Their grandfather spoke up once more. "Yuuto, I suggest that you and Hikari leave if you have nothing else to ask. It's best if things don't escalate any further than they already have."

Takahiro interjected in an annoyed tone. "But Father! The future of House Diablo-!"

"That's enough from you, Takahiro!" The Yakuza boss shouted, causing his son to go silent. "You only have yourself to blame for the way your children resent you. You have nothing to gain from trying to coerce them into coming back, so let it go for now."

The lieutenant looked back at his father in frustration before he calmed down and locked eyes with his son once more, furrowing his eyebrows at him. "You heard your grandfather. Go if you have nothing else of importance to discuss."

"Gladly," Yuuto replied before he tossed Black Lotus to his father's feet and turned around to leave. "you might as well have it back. Just looking at it brings back too many bad memories."

Hikari got off of her seat and started to make her way towards her brother. Takahiro looked down at the katana at his feet before glancing back up towards his son. The devil kicked the weapon up with his foot and proceeded to swing a reverse roundhouse kick at the sword while it was mid-air. He hit it and the blade was sent flying towards the MON agent. Hikari froze where she stood as she witnessed that act and was about to call out to her brother, but the hybrid stopped and turned to his side in a flash before he effortlessly snatched the katana flying at him with his right hand. He then looked back at his father with his devil mode still active, giving the man a look of contempt.

Takahiro smirked back at his son. "Keep it, it'll be of more importance to you. Besides, I have no use for it anymore."

Yuuto was going to question why his father was so willing to give up his once precious weapon, but he had enough of the man for one lifetime. He eventually returned to his normal state as his eyes returned to their natural blue and he tied the weapon to his belt. "Hikari, let's go." He spoke up as he was about to leave once more.

His sister was hesitant for a moment, but she nodded back at him and quickly made her way to his side. As she did so, her brother placed a hand on her back protectively and they walked out of the room, closing the door behind them. Takahiro let out a sigh and made his way to sit on the couch opposite his father. He took his seat and rested his feet on the edge of what remained of the marble table as he unfurled his wings and relaxed into his seat.

"Well, that could've gone better. That boy needs to work on his temper." The devil said sounding not overly bothered by what had happened.

"Can you blame him after the way you treated them? It's a wonder he didn't try to kill you." The Yakuza boss replied as he gave his son a stern look.

Takahiro chuckled to himself for a moment before locking eyes with his father. "He doesn't have the nerve. Besides, they will come crawling back eventually. Now that they know what they are, they won't be able to escape their responsibilities to House Diablo. They'll come around."

"I'm not so certain, but with what's happening in the Demonic Realms right now, they'll soon find themselves in the firing lines of the other Houses. It's best that we keep an eye on them just in case."

"Don't worry. From what I saw from Dagon just now, House Diablo will have nothing to worry about." The lieutenant responded with an evil glint in his eye.

"I hope you're right." His father said with doubt in his tone of voice.

* * *

Back outside the Yakuza hideout, Yuuto and Hikari made their way past the gate before it started shutting behind them. As they made their way back to the car, the MON agent silently went to the truck of the vehicle to open it. He then placed his katana inside before slamming the compartment shut.

Hikari looked on in worry. "Yuu-nii, just talk to me already. I know you're angry with Dad, but you need to calm down."

Her brother didn't answer as he opened the car and got into the driver's seat. The young woman eventually got in as well and sat in the front passenger seat. She looked to him again to see him with his arms crossed and resting on the steering wheel and his head buried in his arms as he started to sob to himself.

"Yuu-nii, what's wrong?" Hikari asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

His sobbing died down as he lifted his head up to look at his sister. "You heard what Dad said back there. He didn't really care about us, we were just tools for him to use." He answered as he sat up in his seat and continued to sob uncontrollably. "I fucking hate that bastard."

Hikari couldn't help but feel sorry for her brother. All their lives Yuuto had always looked out for her, but he always took the brunt of the punishment they received from their father. He spent all those years suffering for her sake, yet she couldn't protect him as he did her. All she could do was be his emotional support and tell him everything was going to be alright. As she started to cry too, she pulled on his arm to get his attention. As he turned to face her she wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him into a hug, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"It's going to be okay, Yuu-nii." She started as she wrapped her arms tighter around him, struggling to hold back her own tears. "I'm always going to be here for you."

Yuuto couldn't hold back anymore, and soon he buried his face into her shoulder and wrapped his arms tight around her as he started to cry uncontrollably once more.

Hikari started to cry hard herself as she patted his back comfortingly. "It's alright, just let it all out."

The siblings stayed like this for some time as they let their emotions spill forth. They had a lot of issues to deal with, include this new revelation of them being half-devils. They would have many challenges ahead of them, but at the very least they had each other.


	42. Halloween Special: To Sleepy Hollow

**A/N: Happy Halloween everyone! As a holiday treat I thought I'd write up this special chapter seeing as I haven't done one since the anniversary special back in April, so here you go. I hope you enjoy the new chapter and had a good Halloween. See you in the next chapter!**

* * *

Halloween, the time of year full of thrills and treats for everyone of all ages and species. Though not as well celebrated in Japan in comparison to the States, the staff of the ICEP Headquarters in Tokyo were holding a Halloween office party to celebrate, seeing as most liminal species partook in the holiday festivities. Fancy dress was a must, though a lot of the human employees had found difficulties on choosing costumes for the event, seeing as the main go-to costumes of the pre-exchange era were based on the once fictional monsters, which would nowadays be considered racially insensitive, so they had to come up with new costumes to wear. Thankfully there were enough ideas to take from media to avoid such an outcome. Smatterings of anime characters, video game characters and so on dominated the party, though the few liminal staff there took the opportunity to work on the classic costumes themselves. Doppel had voiced the idea of coming to the party as her 'true self', but Ms Smith quickly put a stop to that idea, not wanting to traumatise everyone.

It was late at night and the party was in full swing. Everyone was enjoying themselves, though Yuuto, dressed up like Vergil from the Devil May Cry series, was in a deep discussion with his girlfriend, Lala. She was in her classic outfit which was made up of a white dress with a short skirt which she wore under a black robe with a huge cropped collar, as well as her black scarf and black stockings, not to mention her black gauntlets, waist guard and armoured boots, all of which had gold trimmings. The only difference from her usual attire was that she was wearing a carved pumpkin where her head would normally be, while her head was held under one of her arms.

"Wait, hold on. You know the Headless Horseman?" The hybrid asked with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Aye, he is the direct descendant o' the original Headless Horseman o' Sleepy Hollow, as well as a distant relative from me father's side o' the family, going back at least seven generations." The young dullahan replied pridefully with a smirk on her face.

"THE Headless Horseman that spirited away Ichabod Crane? I thought that story was a work of fiction."

Lala merely pouted at him as she now held her head under her breasts. "I assure ye that the tale is true, me Love. Me uncle, Michael Kassel, is the current Headless Horseman and he works as a horse-riding instructor near Sleepy Hollow. I am more than willing tae introduce ye tae him if ye doubt me claims."

"Yeah, New York State isn't exactly down the road from us…" Yuuto replied in an unenthusiastic tone.

Just then, Blare, Kasumi, Kestria, Raia, and even Zombina showed up in their costumes. The hellhound had decided to go with a sexy black witch outfit, complete with a broomstick and a large pointed witch's hat with holes at the base to allow her large cropped ears to poke through. Kasumi had dressed herself up as a Japanese spirit, wearing a white kimono as well as a white triangular forehead cover, though this kimono was specially designed with four sleeves to accommodate for all four of her arms. Kestria was wearing a native American dress, complete with a headband with one of her recently moulted feathers attached to it. Raia had found out one of her old royal outfits from her days as an Egyptian princess, which was made up of a white linen gown with a yellow belt, a pair of golden armbands, a golden coloured shoulder dress, and a gold headband as well. Finally, there was Zombina, who had opted to dress up like Jill Valentine from the original Resident Evil/Biohazard, complete with a blue beret and shoulder pads.

The zombie was the first to call out to the pair. "Hey! Beesh! Headless! Sweet costumes!" She shouted enthusiastically while waving at them.

"Hey girls. You all look great," He replied before focusing on his fellow squad captain, who was now standing to his side. "especially you, agent Valentine." He added with a smirk on his face.

"You're damn right, Devil Boy!" Zombina exclaimed as she wrapped an arm around the back of his neck and pulled him in close. "Took me forever to find a costume in the right size!"

"No kidding, finding costumes for us liminals is still a bit tricky," Blare added. "but, it's totally worth it when it's this goddamn sexy." She teased as she struck a sexy pose.

"Indeed, who would've thought finding a kimono with four sleeves would be so difficult." Kasumi said with a slight pout on her face.

"Well, I had an easy time of it," Kestria interjected as she struck a sexy pose herself. "turns out my old outfit from my tribe did just the trick."

"Likewise, though I can't remember the last time I wore this old thing," Raia added as she showed off her outfit. "I'm surprised my royal garbs have stayed in such good condition for so long."

"Yeah, must be easy for some." The hellhound interrupted as she focused her attention on the young reaper. "All you needed to do was stick a carved pumpkin on your neck and you're done." She continued as she stared at the pumpkin sat upon Lala's body.

"It is certainly well crafted." The empusa added with a look of awe on her face.

Lala's lips pulled into a smirk as she placed a hand on top of the pumpkin. "Aye, I learnt the fine art o' pumpkin carving from me Uncle Michael, the Headless Horseman."

Blare's eyes widened as her flame lashes flickered to life. "Wait, you know the Headless Horseman?! That's awesome!" She shouted excitedly.

"For real?!" The zombie interjected loudly. "You've gotta introduce him to us!"

"Not to ruin the mood, but I think she might be pulling your leg on this one." The raptor harpy of the group chimed in while rubbing the back of her head.

"Yeah, even I'm a little sceptical." The mummy added.

The dullahan started to pout at the group before she removed the pumpkin from her shoulders and placed her head on its rightful place once more. "It seems ye mortals give me little choice. I must do right by me uncle and prove tae ye that he is truly the descendent o' the Headless Horseman." She started as she walked up to her boyfriend and grabbed his wrist tightly. "Come, we shall traverse to the realm o' Sleepy Hollow!" She shouted as she started dragging the hybrid with her.

"Hey, quit dragging me already! I didn't consent to this!" Yuuto yelled in annoyance.

"Hold up you two, I ain't missing out on this!" The redhead shouted as she started to follow the couple.

"Hey, I want to go too!" The hellhound added in an excited tone.

Kestria smirked to herself for a moment. "Might as well go, it's a good excuse to head back to the States for a bit if nothing else." She said as she went after the group.

Raia and Kasumi were left standing there for a moment before they looked to each other. "We should probably go and keep an eye on them just in case." The mummy suggested.

"Right, there's no telling what trouble they might get into." The shinobi added with a nod, and with that, they followed the rest of the group.

The group quickly found themselves in front of one of the office storage rooms on the floor and Lala turned to the group dramatically as she placed a hand in front of her face. "I shall warn ye now, mortals. This will be a perilous journey we are about tae undertake, so if ye wish tae continue, then make peace with yerselves and enter the darkness." She said as she opened the door to the storage room.

"Babe, you do remember that Zee and Raia are undead, right?" The blonde asked while Zombina was giving her a toothy grin, as well as Raia giving her a smug look.

The young reaper faltered for a moment as her cheeks went bright red. "N-N-Never ye mind that. Quickly, we have little time tae waste."

With that, the group entered the small storage room. It was a tight squeeze, but everyone just managed to fit in and Lala closed the door behind them. She hadn't bothered to turn the lights on, and the group was left in complete darkness.

"Lala, can you at least turn the light on in here? I can't see a damn thing." The hybrid complained as he had felt the girls pressing up on either side of him.

"I canna do that. I need the darkness o' the Abyss tae traverse the realms." The dullahan answered in a dramatic fashion.

"Reaper, I know you can transport yourself, but can you transport a group this big with your powers?" Kasumi asked in an inquisitive tone.

The young reaper huffed to herself pridefully. "Ye would do well tae nay doubt the powers o' a Spectre o' Death."

"Well, can you do it quickly? I don't want to be stuck in here any longer than I have too…" The hellhound whined. As they were shuffling around, the empusa's head accidentally pressed against her soft mounds, which voiced an elicit yelp of surprise from Blare. "Hey! Who did that?!" She shouted in annoyance.

"Oh, my apologies," Kasumi answered in an apologetic tone. "though I must admit, they are rather soft and comfortable to rest against." She added as her cheeks went red in embarrassment.

Much to the group's surprise, Blare seemed to enjoy to compliment. "Aren't they just? Itaru can't seem to get enough of them himself." She replied in a smug tone.

While this was going on, Yuuto felt something soft press up against the side of his leg. "Um, who's butt is that?" He said out loud to the group.

"Oh, sorry about that, Hotshot." The raptor harpy answered. "Kinda cramped in here, you know."

He then felt a pair of soft mounds press up against his back, followed by a giggle from his mummy squadmate. "Raia, I know there's not a lot of room, but do you mind?" The blonde asked in an annoyed tone.

"Oh, come on, Medjay. We might as well have a little fun while we're in here." Raia whispered into his ear in a sultry tone as she pressed her breasts against him harder and had started lightly wrapping some of her wrappings around his chest.

The hybrid then felt a hand against his buttocks and gave it a light squeeze, which elicited a surprised gasp from him. "Okay, you're taking this a little too far now."

"That was me, Beesh," Zombina interjected as she pressed her breasts to his side. "you think I'd miss out on something like this? Not a chance in Hell." She teased in a suggestive tone. "Besides, you seem to be enjoying yourself."

Yuuto had gotten rather annoyed and triggered his devil mode, his now crimson demonic eyes slightly illuminating the room as the chaotic energy coursed through them. "I swear to God I'll shock the two of you if you don't cut it out." He threatened in an annoyed tone as his voice reverberated around the room.

"Don't you fucking dare, Stud!" Blare shouted out loud with both annoyance and worry as her flame lashes burst to life. "You'll shock the rest of us as well!"

Lala was starting to get rather annoyed herself and thus took the opportunity to transport herself and her passengers to their destination. "O' shadows o' the Abyss! Take us tae the plane where the Headless Horseman resides!" She shouted, grabbing everyone's attention.

The room shook for a moment and everyone grabbed hold of the nearest person to them to keep their balance. The group felt a strange sensation come over them, a tingling sensation that felt like it was wrapping itself around them. After a moment the shaking stopped and soon a sliver of light appeared behind them.

"Woah, what the hell was that?!" The hellhound exclaimed in surprise.

As the group began to shuffle around again, they tripped over each other and started to topple backwards towards the slivers of light behind them as they let out yelps of panic. They fell through an old wooden door and fell to the ground with a hard thud. Yuuto found himself at the bottom of the pile lying on his front with Zombina and Raia lying on top of him with their breasts pressed up against his head from either side. Everyone else had thankfully fallen away from each other, though Lala's head had fallen from her shoulders and rolled its way in front of where her boyfriend and her undead colleagues had landed.

The hybrid groaned in pain. "Why does this shit keep happening to me?" He muttered to himself before he looked up at the zombie and mummy that were currently keeping him pinned to the ground. "Hey, you two mind getting off me already?" He asked them in an annoyed tone.

Raia rolled away from him and sat herself up to the side of him as she rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry about that, Medjay." She replied in an apologetic tone.

Zombina got off of him and sat up straight with her legs crossed as she straightened out her beret. "Yeah, what Wraps said, but thanks for the catch, Beesh." She added with a toothy grin.

Yuuto just let out an exasperated sigh as he got himself up and sat up straight, deactivating his devil mode in the process. "You're welcome, I guess…" He said as he began to look around to see where they were.

The group had found themselves inside what looked like a small old-fashioned barn. They had fallen out of one of the storage cupboards near the back end of the building, and in front of them was a row of stables running the length of the building. All the stables had horses occupying them, most of which were stood at the back of their stalls. As they started to get to their feet a couple of the horses moved to the front of their stalls to see what was going on. The first was an average height mare which had light grey fur with speckles of darker grey fur all across its body, with the exception of a triangular white patch near the top of its face. It also had a black mane, as well as a long black tail. The second was a slightly taller and slightly more muscular stallion with fur that was pitch black all over, with its long mane and tail which were pitch black too. Lala's body finally picked up her head and placed it back on her neck as she looked towards the two horses looking at the group.

A smile appeared on the young reaper's face as she saw the mare. "Aurora." She called out as she walked towards the horse.

The mare responded with a happy nicker as the dullahan approached. Lala then dematerialised her gauntlets before she began to pat the sides of its face gently with both hands, to which the horse responded by nuzzling her face against the woman.

"It has been an age, but it is good tae see ye once more." She said with a bright smile as she continued to pat the mare's face.

"Lala, you know these horses?" Raia asked as she moved to the reaper's side, staring curiously at the horse.

"Aye, we are in me uncle's stable. I used tae come here quite often when I was a wee lass." She answered as she looked towards the mummy while still petting the mare. "Uncle Michael taught me how to ride horses on Aurora, seeing she has a good temperament."

Aurora then moved her head and started nuzzling it against Raia. The former princess was surprised at first but soon a smile curled onto her lips as she started to pat the horse. "She certainly has, definitely a good horse for beginners."

As the two women were talking, Zombina and Blare walked up to the black stallion out of curiosity. "He's definitely a big one, isn't he?" The hellhound commented. As she got close, the horse turned its head to her suddenly, causing Blare to jump back in surprise as he snorted at her. "Hey, watch it!" She exclaimed in annoyance.

"Take it easy, Blare." The redhead interjected with her signature grin as she closed in on the stallion, causing him to turn his attention towards her. "The big guy just wants a fuss, don't cha?" She said to the horse as she was about to reach out to pat him. Just then the stallion nipped at her beret and yanked it off her head in an instant, much to the annoyance of the zombie. "Hey, give that back!" She shouted as she tried to grab it, only for it to be taken out of reach as the horse backed up into his stall.

Yuuto chuckled to himself as he made his way to his fellow squad captain's side. "You never seem to have much luck with animals." He commented as his lips pulled into a teasing grin. "Still remember that one time you lost your hand and that stray dog almost had it."

Zombina crossed her arms and pouted to herself as her cheeks went red, remembering the embarrassing incident. "Yeah, and it would've gotten away with it too if you weren't around to help.

Lala stepped away from Raia and Aurora as she took notice of what happened and started making her way towards the stallion's stall. "That's Midnight, me uncle's main riding horse. He's quite the mischievous one if ye take yer eyes off him." She explained as she made his way in front of his stall and picked up a nearby carrot to hold out for him. "Midnight, over here." She called out with a smile as she held up the vegetable.

Midnight took notice and trotted over towards the front of the stall again with the beret still in his grasp. As soon as his head poked out the front of the stall he dropped it to the floor and lapped up the treat from the palm of the dullahan's hand.

"Good boy." She praised him as she started to pat the sides of his face, which he responded by nuzzling up to her.

The blonde moved up and picked up the beret before walking up to the redhead and handing it back to her. "There you are, Zee."

Zombina retrieved it and held it in both hands as she looked at it with a displeased look on her face. "Geez, it's got horse slobber all over it now…" She replied unenthusiastically.

Suddenly they heard someone approach the barn from outside. "What's with all that racket in there this early in the morning?" The voice of a man called out as he approached the building.

The group turned around to see the front doors of the barn open, revealing a tall man with blue skin, short brown hair and a short but neatly trimmed brown beard. He was wearing a long-sleeved red plaid shirt, a red scarf around his neck, well-worn blue jeans and a pair of brown working boots. The man's eyes widened in surprise for a moment as he laid eyes on the group, but as soon as he saw the young reaper of the group next to Midnight, his eyes went half-lidded as he gave her a loving smile.

"Well, call me a monkey's uncle." He said as he as he held his arms out wide. "Lala, get your keister over here."

Lala's lips also curled into a smile as she started quickly making her way over to the man. "Uncle Michael." She said out loud joyfully.

She soon made it to him and wrapped her arms around his chest as she rested her head against him, and her uncle happily obliged as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, resting a hand on top of her head as he stroked her hair gently. "You've grown so much since I last saw you," Michael said before loosening his grip on her. "what brings you all the way out here? I thought you were staying in Japan."

"Aye, I am. I told me friends about ye, but they doubted that ye were truly the descendant o' the Headless Horseman. So, I decided tae bring them here tae reveal the truth tae them." She answered as she stepped away from him.

He looked up at the remainder of the group as they moved up towards the pair to introduce themselves. The older dullahan gave them a polite smile as well as a curt nod, making sure his head didn't fall from his shoulders. "Mighty fine to meet you all. I hope the trip with Lala wasn't too strenuous for you, it can be a bit rough for first-timers." He said to them with a hint of concern.

Kestria finally spoke up after staying unusually quiet. "Yeah, I do still feel kind of light-headed." She said as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Likewise, I was not expecting to travel such a vast distance so suddenly." Kasumi added as she did the same with one of her sickles.

Michael chuckled to himself for a moment. "You'll be alright, just try to take it easy for a bit."

Lala eventually went to her boyfriend's side and wrapped her arms around his right arm. "Uncle, this is me Love, Yuuto. We have forged a pact together." She said as her cheeks went red.

Yuuto gave the man a polite smile. "Hey, it's an honour to meet you, Mr Kassel." He said in a friendly tone.

"Please, just Michael is fine." He replied before turning his attention back to the rest of the group. "And who are these fine ladies with you?" He asked in a courteous tone.

The zombie was the first to speak up. "Hey, the name's Zombina! Nice to meet cha!" She exclaimed with a toothy grin.

"Hi, I'm Blare." The hellhound added with a wave of a hand.

"I am Kasumi Hayashi. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir." The shinobi said as she gave him a respectful bow.

"Sup, I'm Kestria, but everyone calls me Kes." The raptor harpy answered with a wave of a wing.

"And I'm Raia. I'm sorry if we're inconveniencing you." The mummy added in an apologetic tone.

"Hah, it's no problem whatsoever, Miss," Michael replied in a jovial tone. "so, you all want to know more about my many times great-grandpappy then? I reckon I can help with that." He added as he went to pick up a pitchfork. "But first, I need to get on with my morning chores, as well as sort out breakfast." He then turned his attention to the hybrid. "Yuuto, you look like a strong young man. How about you lend me a hand in exchange for what I know about the Headless Horseman. Does that sound like a fair deal?"

The blonde nodded in response. "Sure, sounds fair to me."

"Perfect." The older dullahan answered as he went up to him and handed him the pitchfork. "Though I reckon you might want to take off that fancy robe and those boots, I'm going to need you to clean up the manure in the stalls." He added with a cheeky grin. "I've got a spare jacket and a pair of boots you can borrow in the meantime."

Yuuto grabbed the pitchfork as he gave the man a deadpan look. "Glad to see I got the best job…" He replied sarcastically as he put the tool to one side to take off the robe.

Michael chuckled to himself once more. "You'll be fine, Son." He then turned to the women of the group. "As for you ladies, I'm fairly certain I haven't got enough food for all of you, so do you mind running into town and getting some groceries? My treat."

Raia stepped forwards with a smirk on her face. "Sounds like a deal, though do you have a car or truck we can borrow."

He pulled out a set of keys and handed them to her, as well as his wallet. "It's the blue truck parked in front of the house, it can fit three in the front and however many in the back. There's a decent sized supermarket near Tarrytown way, shouldn't be too far."

"Thanks." She replied before turning to the other girls. "Blare, Kasumi, Kes, you're with me."

The three women nodded in response without question, not wanting to be on the wrong side of her wrappings.

"I think I'll stay here and help Beesh out." Zombina said as she moved to his side and pat his back hard.

"And I shall assist ye with the horses, Uncle." Lala added with a smile on her face.

"Glad to hear it," Michael replied. "looks like everyone's got their job, now, let's get to it."

With that, the girls of Squad Bravo made their way out of the barn to get the groceries, with Michael and Lala leading the horses out to graze and exercise, while Yuuto and Zombina were left with the dirty work. It took about an hour to sort out, but by the time they were done Raia and the girls were back with the groceries, and they had quite the haul. It didn't take them long to get cleaned up and get the food ready. Soon everyone was sat at the table and about to dig in when the older dullahan came into the dining room with a dusty old book in his hand.

Kasumi was the first to raise her head and look at the book quizzically. "What is that you're carrying?" She asked out of curiosity as everyone else looked towards the man.

Michael smirked at the group. "This is the diary of Heinrich Kassel, the Headless Horseman."

Everyone went wide-eyed for a moment, apart from Lala, who was smiling to herself in satisfaction. "I canna say I am surprised that ye kept his tome safe fer all these years." She spoke up with a smug look on her face.

The older dullahan took his seat at the table and placed the book down in front of him. "The diary has been handed down my family since the late 18th century, and it recounts the life of my ancestor, Heinrich Kassel. It also recounts the events of what happened on that fateful night in Sleepy Hollow from his perspective."

"Wait, hold up," Yuuto interjected with a look of confusion on his face. "I know you're not lying about this, but I always thought that the legend was just a book written by Washington Irving. If he didn't make it up, how the hell did he find out about it?"

"I have no concrete evidence on how he came upon the information, but I always presumed that he found out from one of my distant relatives and adapted the story for his own purposes, at least that's what my grandfather always told me when I was young."

The MON agent nodded at the man's explanation an seemed satisfied with his answer for the time being. "That's fair enough, though now I'm curious as to what actually happened. Does anyone else know?"

Michael shook his head. "Apart from Mr Irving, the truth of the tale has never been told to anyone outside the family, and it seems he took that secret to the grave with him."

Zombina smirked to herself as she heard this. "Well, I know what we're doing after we're done eating."

"Indeed, I'm rather curious myself as to what actually happened." Kasumi added flatly.

With that everyone made quick work of eating breakfast and they soon found themselves in the living room after cleaning up after themselves. Yuuto took a seat on the couch with Blare and Zombina sitting on either side of him, while Kasumi, Kestria and Raia were leaning over the back of the couch behind them so they could read over his shoulder. Lala and Michael were sat on the couch opposite them, eagerly anticipating their reactions from reading the diary. The hybrid eventually opened up the book to discover what secrets it held.

The older dullahan spoke up to the group. "The entry is on September 23rd, 1790. That should detail the events of what happened to Ichabod Crane." He explained.

Yuuto nodded and carefully flicked through the diary. The book was old and worn, and the handwriting within was written in cursive, making it barely legible enough for him to read. "September 23rd, September 23rd…" He muttered to himself until he found the entry. "Ah, there it is. Now, let's see."

 _It was the night of the harvest moon, and the mortals of this town were busy preparing for their harvest festival at the homestead of the Van Tassel family. The day seemed like normal until evening when the festivities began in earnest. I kept an eye on them from a distance until I recognised the form of the town's schoolmaster, Herr Crane._

"Herr?" He questioned himself as he read the entry.

"It's German for 'Mr'. His family originally immigrated from Germany, so I'd imagine that he had a thick German accent." Michael explained.

"Right." The blonde answered before her continued to read the entry out loud.

 _As I saw him make his way to the barn house where the festivities were taking place, I noticed him coughing to himself frequently, though at the time I thought of it nothing more than a common cold. Several hours pass and all seemed well until I spy Herr Crane exit the building on his steed. His mood seemed downcast and he was coughing to himself once more, only this time more violently. It was at this moment that I was able to sense that his life is on the brink of death._

"We believe that the man had contracted some sort of disease, and from what we gathered Heinrich feared that is left unchecked it would spread to everyone in the hollow." The older dullahan interjected, wanting to explain the situation to the group.

"Wait, you're saying he killed Ichabod Crane?!" Blare exclaimed in shock.

"We won't know for sure until we read the entire entry." Her squad captain explains before he continued to read from the diary.

 _Seeing the schoolmaster enter the woods between the homestead and Sleepy Hollow by himself, I took the opportunity to intercept the mortal and fulfil my duty as a Spectre of Death. I was able to catch up with him at an intersection, though he and his horse were spooked as I came into sight, a natural reaction from a mortal if I have to be honest. I proceeded to chase down Herr Crane on my steed through the woods, though he seemed determined to escape my clutches despite his illness. I was gaining ground on him by the time we reached the bridge near the burial grounds, though he seemed relieved after crossing over it. Were he to make it back to Sleepy Hollow, I believed that a great calamity would ensue. With that, I desperately grabbed my head and hurled it at the man in a vain attempt to stop him in his tracks. He turned around in horror, not expecting me to be on his heels and my head collided with him, knocking him off of his horse and causing him to roll down towards the bank of the river. My head rolled to the side of the road as I noticed his tri-corner hat fall to the ground, along with a pumpkin he apparently had on him. After my body got off my steed to retrieve my head I headed down to the riverbank to see if I could find him. Surely enough I was able to find his body, his soul still barely clinging to life. The poor sod was truly suffering as his skin grew pale, but soon enough with the effects of the illness in conjunction with his recent injuries from his fall, the life slowly slipped from his body, bringing an end to his existence upon the mortal coil. I proceeded to make sure that his soul safely made its way to the afterlife, and not wanting anyone to discover his body I wrapped it up in a cloth and took it with me, which I proceeded to burn in order to fully sever the connection between his body and soul. I may not have known what kind of man he truly was, though I believe his untimely demise may have been a fortunate outcome for Sleepy Hollow. I also believe that this encounter will come to affect my judgement as a reaper of souls for many years to come until the time my own soul must return to whence it came._

Yuuto closed the diary with a look of realisation on his face, along with the other MON agents. The group stayed quiet for a moment, but Blare was the first to speak up. "Holy crap, he practically saved Sleepy Hollow, and no one knew…" She said with a sense of disbelief, but she couldn't deny what she and the others had read.

Michael stood up from his seat and walked up to the group as he gave them a knowing look. "We reapers of Death have always worked towards keeping the balance between life and death. Heinrich believed that intervening here would've been the right thing to do for the good of Sleepy Hollow."

"Wow…" The hybrid uttered before looking up to see his girlfriend standing in front of him with a smug look on her face. "Well, I guess I owe you an apolo-"

Before he had time to finish, the young reaper placed a finger on his lips to silence him as she gave him a loving smile. "Do nay worry, me Love. I am glad that ye at least understand the truth."

Yuuto couldn't help but smile back at her as she said that. "If you say so."

"Well, seeing we found that out and all, maybe we should be on our way now." Raia spoke up just as Yuuto, Blare and Zombina got up from the couch.

"Oh, nonsense." The older dullahan interjected with a massive grin on his face. "You've come all this way, so you might as well make the most of it. We're actually holding a Halloween party near the Phillipsburg Manor tonight, you're more than welcome to join us. We even have a barbecue set up."

"Wait, for real?!" Blare asked excitedly.

"Oh, hell yeah! I'm in!" Zombina exclaimed with a hunger in her eyes.

"What the hell, you two only just had breakfast." The hybrid responded as he quirked an eyebrow at them.

"Technically, it would be a late-night snack for us, Senpai." Kasumi interjected.

He thought about it for a moment before realising what the empusa was on about. "Oh, yeah. We're like fourteen hours behind right now." He said before letting out a loud yawn. "Speaking of, I'm absolutely exhausted."

"You're all more than welcome to rest here while I go about my day. Just head down to the manor when you're all good and ready." Michael offered as he stepped out of the living room. "I only have a couple of guest rooms you can use, as well as my own, so it may be a tight squeeze."

Yuuto chuckled to himself at the response. "Sounds good to me, I could sleep just about anywhere right now." He replied as he tried to fight off another yawn.

Lala took the opportunity to move to his side and wrapped her arms around his chest. "Then ye won't mind if ye rest with just me then." She suggested as her cheeks went a light shade of red.

He couldn't help but smirk at his girlfriend. "You don't have to tell me twice."

With that, Michael showed them to their rooms where they proceeded to clonk out for the day. After a good long rest and getting themselves ready, it was nightfall by the time they made their way out and headed towards Phillipsburg Manor. They were not disappointed as the place was decked out in Halloween decorations, and the barbecue they were promised was there as well. They spent the night partying and gorging themselves on food, and to their surprise, there was also a re-enactment of the famous chase scene from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, with Michael as the Headless Horseman and a friend that worked at the manor as Ichabod Crane, both riding around on Midnight and Aurora respectively. The re-enactment was a blast and the crowd was cheering and whooping by the finale. Overall, the night had been a huge success, and the members of MON didn't regret coming to Sleepy Hollow for the day, though they would eventually have to explain to Ms Smith why they disappeared for so long. Despite how tired the group were, they were all enjoying themselves thoroughly. This was one Halloween they wouldn't soon forget.


	43. Testing the Limits

It was the day after Yuuto had gone with Hikari to see their father. The hybrid had a lot to take in after the ordeal but just thinking about it was starting to drive him nuts. Thankfully Ms Smith had planned for all the MON agents to head out to Sports Club Kobold for the day to keep them in shape, seeing as it had been quiet since the Takahashi/Fukuda incident in Koto ward. Lala had been asked to come too to see how she compared physically to her potential future co-workers, so that would help brighten his spirits somewhat. It was also a good excuse for him to finally test out what his devil mode was capable of and how long he'd be able to sustain it for and to see if he could improve on it. For better or for worse it was going to be a tiring day for him.

The group arrived at Sports Club Kobold, and Kuroko had told everyone that they could go off and do their own thing, as long as they weren't slacking off. Everyone agreed and proceeded to get changed into their training gear before going to the different areas of the gym to get started. As this was going on, Polt, the owner of the gym was showing a troll woman around as her personal trainer for the day. The troll woman in question was extremely tall and muscular, standing at least nine feet tall, making her taller than even Tionishia, and she had pale green skin, dark green eyes and had dark green shoulder-length hair with a pair of pale green stubby horns poking in between her fringe. She was wearing a deep blue sports shirt to contain her massive breasts, as well as deep blue tight-fitting shorts, white trainers, and a pair of deep blue wristbands.

"So, Astrid. What are you most concerned about?" The cheerful kobold asked in a friendly tone. "We have everything you could possibly need here to deal with all your health needs."

Astrid looked away nervously for a moment as a blush appeared on her cheeks. "I'm worried that my arms and chest are starting to get a bit flabby. There isn't a lot of room to move around in Tokyo for us trolls right now…" She replied dejectedly in what sounded like a Swedish accent.

"Hmmm, arms and chest, arms and chest…" Polt muttered to herself with her hand held to her chin, deep in thought. She remained like this for a moment until she came upon an idea as her face brightened up, her cheerful mood returning to her. "Oh, I know! We had some new punching bags come in the other day, and one of them should be big enough for you to use!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Really?" The troll asked, her curiosity now peaked. "Well, it'll be a big help, I didn't realise they made punching bags that big." She added as her lips curled into a smile.

"Oh, it's just a prototype, but hopefully they'll go into mass production sooner rather than later. Anyway, I'll take you to our weights room right now, so you can try it out." Polt replied as she took the lead with Astrid following in tow.

The pair were making good progress, but as they neared the weights room they heard loud grunts coming from nearby. Polt's ears perked up as she heard the grunting, but she found it strange as it sounded like it was reverberating. Thankfully for them it was coming from the area they were already heading for, so they could kill two birds with one stone.

"Anyway, this super-huge punching bag I ordered is about twelve feet tall, so it should be perfect for you!" The kobold explained excitedly as her tail wagged frantically, looking forward to the troll's reaction. "I've been told that they made the outer casing super think and durable too, so you won't need to worry… about…" She trailed off as the turned the corner into the room. She was not prepared for what she saw as her jaw hung open in surprise, nor was Astrid if the look of awe on her face was any indication.

Someone had already beaten them to the extremely large punching bag, and the gym owner instantly recognised it was Yuuto by the blonde spiky hair, though what had surprised her was the fact that his body was emitting currents of crimson electricity, and that his eyes were also crimson too. What was even more surprising was that he was laying into the behemoth of a punching bag like it was a normal sized one, sending it swinging from side to side as he punched and kicked at it, letting out grunts with every hit as the sweat poured down his body. Standing by some of the normal sized punching bags were Blare and Zombina, standing idly as they admired the hybrid's handiwork.

"Damn, Stud. You really are laying into that thing." The hellhound commented with an excited look on her face.

"Hell yeah! Beat the shit outta it, Beesh!" The zombie shouted with a massive grin on her face.

Polt was left speechless for a moment at the sight as the blonde continued to pummel the punching bag, but she soon shook herself out of her stupor and rushed towards the three MON agents. "Hold it!" She yelled, grabbing their attention as the kobold hurried to where they were. Yuuto had stopped what he was doing as the now confused gym owner moved to his side. "Yuuto! What…how…why…?!" Polt was in a state of confusion, not sure how to react to his transformation as the hybrid looked back at her quizzically.

Blare giggled to herself for a moment before she moved to her friend's side and placed a padded hand on her shoulder. "Take it easy, Polt." She said in a calming tone. "Turns out that Stud's part elder devil."

The kobold looked back at her friend for a moment with a look of realisation on her face. "Wait, he's a hybrid?"

"Yeah, I am," The hybrid in question spoke up, gaining the attention of both lycanthropes. "but I only found out I can do this about a week back." He added as he clenched a fist, causing an excess amount of chaotic energy to course around it momentarily. "I'm still trying to figure out how much I can do with this transformation."

"Well, you've come to the right place!" Polt replied excitedly as she returned to her chipper mood. "Most of the equipment here is built with liminals in mind, so feel free to go all out!"

"Um, Miss Polt?" The troll woman that had accompanied the gym owner finally spoke up. "Is that the punching bag you were talking about earlier?" She asked as she pointed at the colossal object the blonde was standing next to.

"Yep, that's the one!" The kobold exclaimed as her tail started wagging frantically once more. "This baby was built to withstand the full strength of a minotaur charge!" She boasted before an idea popped into her head. She then wheeled herself back around to face the hybrid. "Yuuto! How about you demonstrate just how durable it is by using your strongest attack on it!"

Yuuto just stared at her for a moment, thinking it wasn't a great idea, but it would give him the chance to find out how strong he really was in this form. He then smirked back at her as he pounded a fist against the palm of his other hand, causing sparks of chaotic energy to course around them with increased intensity. "Fine by me, let's just hope this thing is as tough as you say it is."

"Sorry, Polt, but one-thousand yen says that Beesh rips the damn thing in half!" Zombina exclaimed to the gym owner as she walked up to Blare's side to get a better look at what was about to happen.

A smug looked appeared on the kobold's face as she crossed her arms under her chest. "Don't be so sure. The guys that made it told me that it's made up of at least a dozen layers of leather and shock-absorption material. There's no way that Yuuto can break it."

The redhead started laughing to herself at the woman's comment. "Famous last words, Polt!"

With that, the blonde walk away from the punching bag until he was roughly twenty feet away, much to Polt's confusion. Blare and Zombina merely smirked at each other, clearly aware of what the hybrid had in mind. Astrid looked on with curiosity, eager to see what was going to happen. Yuuto stopped and turned to face the punching bag once more before he got into position, looking like he was about to sprint towards it. After a moment, chaotic energy started to intensify around his legs as a smirk appeared on his lips. In an instant he leapt towards the punching bag, leaving cracks in the floor where he leapt from. As he neared it he spun around mid-air and swung a roundhouse kick with his right leg as he let out a short battle cry. The leg made contact with the punching bag, the impact causing the object to contort where the attack landed. For a moment it looked as though the punching bag would hold out against the attack, but the chaotic energy concentrated in his leg coursed its way through it, causing a rip to form on the other side. In an instant, the side of it was shredded to pieces and it burst open. The immediate area was caked with what was the remains of sponge and other fillings that were inside the bag, and the women were unfortunate enough to be caught by the blast of debris. Yuuto landed without much trouble as he looked back at his handiwork with a shocked look on his face. He wanted to put a dent in it, but he hadn't intended to use so much chaotic energy as to shred it to pieces.

The girls looked on in silence, trying to comprehend what just happened, but soon a massive grin formed on the zombie's face. "Nice going, Beesh! I knew you wouldn't let me down!" She shouted victoriously.

"Should've known he'd overdo it." Blare added as a smirk crossed her lips.

Though the two MON agents were impressed with his showing, Polt was gobsmacked. That punching bag was designed to endure against strikes from ogres, minotaurs and other large and physically strong liminal species, yet the blonde MON agent had almost managed to rip it in half with a single kick. Astrid, on the other hand, had a look of awe on her face, amazed that a human was able to get this strong, even if he was a hybrid like the other girls said.

The hybrid looked back at the gym owner with worry as he began to wave his hands apologetically at her. "Crap, I'm so sorry, Polt! I didn't mean too…" He trailed off, his worry now replaced with confusion as he noticed that she wasn't upset or angry with him for breaking the punching bag, but rather excited.

"Omigod, Yuuto! That was incredible!" Polt exclaimed enthusiastically with her tail wagging frantically and she rushed towards him, now in his face as she gave him a massive smile. "You've really come a long way since you started coming here with the girls! I'm so proud of you!"

"Um, thanks, I guess…" He replied in an embarrassed tone as he rubbed the back of his head.

After a moment the kobold stepped back from him before she pulled a pen and notepad seemingly out of nowhere and started jotting down something in it. "Okay, got to ask the guys if they can add rubber insulation to the next batch," She started before glancing back at the blonde. "which reminds me. Try to hold back on your electricity thingy next time you're on the punching bag, or any of the equipment now that I think about it, okay?" She asked him in a friendly tone with a smile still on her face.

"Oh, sure, I can do that." Yuuto answered before he looked back at the remains of the punching bag still scattered everywhere. "Do you need a hand cleaning up this mess?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. I can get the staff to help me out." Polt replied as she put the pen and notepad away. "You just focus on getting your workout finished." She turned to face the troll as an apologetic look crossed her face. "I'm really sorry, Astrid, but I need to sort out this mess before we can work on your training session. Just wait in here for the time being until I get back."

"Oh, it's alright. Don't worry about it too much." Astrid replied happily.

"Alright." The kobold said before she started running out of the room. "I'll be back as soon as I can!"

With the gym owner gone, Yuuto finally let out a sigh of relief, glad that he wasn't in trouble with her. "Not that I'm complaining, but I just don't get that woman sometimes."

Blare giggled to herself as she moved to his side and bumped shoulders with him. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, just be glad she isn't mad at you, Stud." She replied with a cheeky wink.

"Yeah, plus I made an easy thousand-yen outta it thanks to you, so it's a win-win!" Zombina added with a toothy grin.

"…You really are unbelievable sometimes, Zee…" Just then the blonde noticed the troll woman move in front of him and crouch down so that she was closer to eye level with him. "Oh, I'm sorry about delaying your session with Polt… err… Astrid was it?" He asked her in an embarrassed tone.

She smiled back at him as she gently placed a hand on top of his head and began to rustle his hair. "Oh, it's alright. I was kind of impressed by what you just pulled off, so I can forgive you for that. But, maybe you should switch to something else before you pop another punching bag, okay?" She said to him in a sweet tone.

"Um, yeah, sure…"

"Wait, hold on!" Blare interrupted as she locked eyes with the troll. "How come you aren't getting shocked by Stud?!"

Astrid then just noticed the tingling sensation in her hand that's placed on the hybrid's head and saw that the red electricity he was using before was arching around her palm and fingers. She then giggled to herself at the sensation. "That feels really nice, Yuuto." She said as she continued to rustle his hair.

"Please stop…" He replied as his face was going red.

Seeing as Astrid wasn't getting hurt touching the blonde, the hellhound tried her luck and placed a hand on his back, only to be rewarded with a nasty shock as she jumped back in pain. "Ow! Dammit!" She shouted out loud.

The zombie of the group let out a gut-wrenching laugh at her co-worker's reaction. "Should've told you that trolls have extremely thick skin, so shit like that doesn't bother them!" She exclaimed as she held her arms around her waist while she was still laughing, much to Blare's annoyance.

After some time, the mess was cleared up and Polt, along with Astrid went off to continue their personal training session. With Blare and Zombina going at their punching bags again, Yuuto decided it would be a good time to go off and lift some weights. He found a free bench to do some reps, but before he could get started he ran into both Tio and Kasumi, who offered to spot for him. Things were well underway as the hybrid started bench pressing a barbell with three hundred pounds of weight attached to it, which was impressive by human standards. Tio was standing right behind him to take the weight for him if he began to struggle while Kasumi was standing to his side, giving him words of encouragement.

"You're doing really well, Senpai. Just don't overexert yourself." The empusa said to him, not taking her eyes off him for even a second.

Tio looked on in awe, clearly impressed that he was handling so much weight by himself. "Wow, Sweetie. You've gotten really strong in that form."

The chaotic energy in his arms intensified as he was lifting the weights, helping to support his muscles against the strain. "Yeah, seems like this form augments the strength in my muscles without increasing my muscle mass, which I got to say is pretty handy." He replied as sweat began to drip down his face.

The two women noticed that as he continued, his movements became slower and more strained and that his breathing was becoming more laboured. Yuuto didn't want to say it, but he was beginning to struggle.

"Senpai, maybe you should take a break. I don't want you to hurt yourself." Kasumi told him in a worried tone.

The blonde smirked back at her. "Don't worry, I need to go as far as I can, so I can figure out what my limits are right now." He replied in a confident tone.

Just as he fully extended his arms with his current rep, the chaotic energy coursing around him started to die down in intensity. It started to fade as his natural muscle strength was struggling to keep the barbell up. In the blink of an eye, the energy faded, and he opened his eyes, which had returned to their natural blue. Shock hit the hybrid as he realised he'd reverted to his natural form, his eyes widened in panic as his arms gave in and the barbell was starting to fall towards him.

In an instant, Tio rushed to grab the weights, easily holding it up with both hands. "Hold on, Sweetie! I got it!" She shouted to him to help try to calm him down.

Kasumi rushed to the foot of the bench and quickly pulled on his ankles to make sure he was as far from the barbell as possible. Satisfied that he was safe, the ogress lifted the weights with ease and placed it safely onto the rack. Yuuto was breathing heavily after the close call and sat himself up straight as Kasumi moved to his side and placed a sickle on his shoulder.

"Senpai, are you alright?" The empusa asked with a look of worry on her face.

"Yeah… I think so…" He replied in between ragged breaths as he tried to calm himself down. "Thanks for the save by the way," He added before looking back at the ogress. "both of you."

Tio moved next to them and crouched down to check on him. "I'm just glad you're okay, but what happened there? Why did you change back all of a sudden?"

"Hmmm…" The hybrid hummed to himself as he raised his hand and clenched his fist, giving it a once over. "I guess it's harder for me to maintain my devil mode if I overexert myself too much, or maybe I can only maintain it for a certain period of time before I revert back to my base form. Either way, it's something I can improve on in time, hopefully."

Kasumi stood up straight and extended a chitinous hand towards him. "For now, I think it's best for you to take a break and recuperate for the time being." She said to him flatly.

Yuuto looked up at her and gave her a smile as he reached out and grabbed her hand. "Sounds great, I'm starting to get parched here." He replied as she helped pull him to his feet.

The empusa merely smiled back at him, happy with his decision.

While they weren't looking Tio shot up to her feet and wrapped the pair into a crushing hug, both now trapped in her fleshy prison. "That's a great idea, Sumi-chan!" She exclaimed joyfully as she lifted them up and started carrying them out of the weights room. "Ooh, I want to try that new banana and mango smoothie they're selling at the canteen!"

"S… Senpai…" Kasumi said quietly as she struggled for breath.

The hybrid managed to pull his head free from the ogress' cleavage and turned to face his squad mate. "It'll be easier if you don't struggle. We'll be out of here in no time."

"…If you think that is best," She replied to him, sounding slightly disappointed. "though I am not entirely displeased with our current predicament…" She added as her cheeks were bright red from being pressed against her squad captain and a particularly large breast.

Yuuto furrowed his eyebrows at her as he let out an exasperated sigh. "Should've known you'd say that…"

Thankfully for them, Tio was too distracted by wanting to try out the banana and mango smoothie to pay attention to their conversation.

* * *

The trio spent some time relaxing in the gym's canteen, each indulging in their chosen fruity smoothie and healthy snack. Before long Yuuto had recovered enough to retrigger his devil mode and decided to head down to the swimming pool. He thought it would be a good idea to work all his muscles simultaneously and find out how fast he could move in the water, and also to see if he could try and control his chaotic energy as to avoid shocking any of the other swimmers. He soon found himself racing against one of the other swimmers there, though he soon discovered he was at an extreme disadvantage. The added strength in his muscles from the energies that coursed through him had sped him up quite a bit, though it was only enough to keep up with a human Olympic swimmer. His adversary was far more adapted to the water than any human and easily completed two lengths of the pull just after he completed one. The pink-haired mermaid leapt out of the water and sat at the edge of it, looking back at her competitor with a smile on her face and her hands clasped together.

"You're almost there, Sir Yuuto! You are doing oh so very well!" Mero shouted in encouragement.

The nickname the mermaid gave him still ticked him off to no end, but he decided to ignore it and pressed on with all his might. Within a few seconds, he reached the end of the pool and slammed his hand against it before pulling his head out of the water.

"Time!" He shouted as loud as he could.

Raia, who had previously been sunbathing in the recreational pool area hit the stop button on the stopwatch she had been given. She stood there in a black bikini with a smile curling onto her lips as she looked at the time. "26.09 seconds. That's pretty impressive by human standards." She said to him in an upbeat tone.

The blonde pulled himself out of the water with a look of frustration on his face before sitting himself on the edge of the pool next to the mermaid. "Maybe, but I thought I'd be at least a bit faster than that."

"Oh, don't be so down, Sir Yuuto. You have done exceedingly well for a land dweller." The pinkette commented with a bright smile on her face.

The hybrid looked back at her with a look of annoyance as he furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Well, at least I didn't need to cheat like you, Doppel."

The mermaid smirked back at him before her form unravelled into long strands of white hair, revealing the cocky doppelganger underneath. "You were the one who said you wanted a challenge, Romeo." She replied, giving him a cheeky wink.

Yuuto sighed to himself as he stood to his feet. "Well, at least we've figured out that catching mermaids isn't my forte." He said as he reverted back to his base form. "Guess I'll have to leave that to you two."

He then felt a towel land on the back of his head before he felt a pair of hands rub against his scalp through the fabric. "Don't feel so down, Medjay. The whole point is to find out what you're good at in devil mode, right?" His mummy squad mate asked as she started to dry his hair with the towel.

"…True…" He replied after a moment's hesitation before he stepped away from her and started drying the rest of himself down with the towel. "I guess I was just expecting more."

Doppel smirked at the pair as she also stood to her feet. "Anyway, we've done our part. I'm going to go back to the sunbeds and relax now."

"Yeah, thanks for the help, Doppel."

"No problem, Romeo." She replied as she walked off, waving a few locks of hair at him as she did so. "Stay out of trouble now."

As the blonde finished drying himself off, Raia moved in close and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. "Just try not to hurt yourself, okay?" She asked him in a worried tone.

Yuuto couldn't help but smile to himself as he returned the hug. "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

The mummy pulled back from him and gave him a smile, satisfied with his answer. "Alright, I'll catch you later, Medjay." She said as she walked off after the doppelganger, waving a hand at him. "Take care."

"Will do." He answered as he waved back at her.

With the pair gone, the hybrid activated his devil mode once more and started making his way back to the changing room to ready himself for his next challenge. _"At least changing forms is starting to feel more natural now."_ He thought to himself as a smirk appeared on his face.

* * *

After he got changed back into his gym gear he headed towards the back of the gym, where there was a massive interior rock-climbing wall that was almost as tall as the building itself. He wanted to find out how fast he could scale the wall free-hand, and thankfully for him Kestria and Manako were already there, the latter scaling the wall herself, while the former flew nearby to keep an eye on her and give her words of encouragement. After they were done, he was able to enlist their help with his task and made ready to climb it after the monoeye took the elevator to the top of the structure to record his time. With that, the hybrid started scaling the wall with incredible speed, with his harpy squad mate flying nearby to make sure he was alright. He intensified the energy in his arms and legs to help propel him up the wall and to help strengthen his grip to reduce the likelihood of falling. The people around him who were also scaling the structure looked on in awe as he flew past them, launching himself from one foothold to another without pausing for breath.

Kestria, who was flapping her way up to keep up with him was amazed by what her squad captain was achieving right now. "Hot damn, Hotshot! You're killing it!" She shouted as she continued to follow him up.

Yuuto kept his focus on where he would launch himself to next. "Yeah, seems like this form is well-suited for something like this! It'll definitely come in handy!" He exclaimed in reply with a smirk on his face.

"No doubt, but try to be careful, will you?!" She asked him, now noticing that they were more than halfway up the nearly eight-story structure. "It's a long drop from here if you lose your footing!"

"It's alright, I've got this!" He shouted back confidently.

As he leapt up and grabbed hold of the next handhold, he put a little too much force into his grip and accidentally ripped it off the structure. His eyes went wide with panic as he felt himself start falling back from the wall.

Kestria also panicked seeing this and flew towards him as fast as she could. "Hotshot!" She shouted with worry.

In an instant a look of determination crossed his face as he thrust a hand forwards and smashed a fist into the wall, making an improvised handhold to grab hold of. He also swung a foot at the wall and did the same there. The blonde was barely hanging on as the raptor harpy made it to his side.

"Hotshot! Are you okay?!" Kestria exclaimed with worry as she hovered as close to him as possible.

Yuuto looked back at her and gave her his widest grin in an attempt to calm her down. "Yeah, totally fine." He then looked back at his hand still holding onto the handhold he accidentally ripped off the wall. "Though I might've overdone it a bit."

His squadmate let out an exasperated sigh. "Geez, don't scare me like that. I thought I was going to have a heart attack." She replied as she gave him an annoyed look.

"Yeah, sorry about that." He answered as he chucked the broken-off handhold towards her, which she grabbed with ease with one of her talons. "Remind me to apologize to Polt about this later." He then readjusted himself, so he was grabbing hold of proper handholds again as he looked up to the top of the structure with a smirk on his face. "Now, if you excuse me, I've got a rock wall to finish climbing." The demonic energy intensified around his arms and legs again as he started launching himself up the structure once more.

Kestria was left hovering there as she looked up at him in disbelief, though after a moment she smirked to herself before she started following him up once more. "…You idiot…" She muttered to herself under her breath.

Back at the top of the structure, Manako sat there patiently with a stopwatch in one hand while checking her cell phone with the other. She was sure she'd be waiting a while for the pair to reach the top, so she took the time to check her emails while she waited. She was distracted as she heard several grunts coming from over the edge of the structure. As she glanced over she saw a hand coursing with chaotic energy grab onto the lip of the wall, soon followed by it launching its owner up and over the edge towards her.

"TIME!" Yuuto shouted as he flung himself over.

The monoeye panicked over his sudden arrival and immediately went to hit the stop button on the stopwatch. The hybrid landed into a crouch in front of the startled woman before he reverted back to his base form. Manako looked up at him as he gave her a warm smile, which soon put her at ease as she smiled back at him.

"So, how did I do?" The blonde asked as he sat himself down next to her.

Manako found herself staring at him longer than she had intended and got herself flustered as she looked away from him and looked back at the stopwatch, her cheeks now red with embarrassment. "Oh, right. I'm sorry, Yuuto." Her eye went wide in astonishment as she read the time on the stopwatch. "…No way, three minutes twenty-nine seconds. That's incredible…"

Yuuto looked a little disappointed as she read it out. "Three twenty-nine? Damn, I must've lost at least fifteen seconds from that slip up earlier." He said out loud as he rubbed the back of his neck.

She looked back at him with a shocked look on her face. "Wait, you could've done it faster?!" She exclaimed in surprise at his statement.

Just then Kestria flew over the edge of the structure and landed gracefully near them with a smirk on her face. "Yeah, Hotshot really hauled ass up there." She answered as she walked over to the pair and crouched down next to her squad captain. "Got to say, I'm pretty surprised myself."

Manako then glanced down at the harpy's talons and noticed that one of them was grasping onto something. "Kestria? What is that you're holding onto?" She asked as she stared at the object curiously.

The raptor harpy glanced down herself before she used one of her wings to awkwardly pick up the handhold her squad captain had accidentally ripped off the rock wall earlier. "Oh, Hotshot broke it off the wall on the way up." She answered as she held it out for the monoeye to see.

Manako furrowed her eyebrows as she looked towards the hybrid of the group. "Yuuto…" She said in a disappointed tone.

The blonde held up his hands defensively at her as his face pulled into an apologetic look. "Hey, it was an accident. I'll apologise to Polt later."

"That's all well and good, but Zombina already told me about the punching bag incident, and the ICEP will have to pay for the damages. Ms Smith isn't going to be happy." She then lowered her head and let out an exasperated sigh. "What are we going to do with you, Yuuto?"

"Hey, don't worry." He replied as he smiled back at her. "I'll make it up to her somehow."

"Yeah, like doing all her paperwork for a week." Kestria interjected with a wry smirk on her face, earning an unenthusiastic groan from her squad captain.

"I'd rather just take the hit to my paycheck…" He complained to himself before he stood up and started making his way to the elevator. "Anyway, I'm off to the track and field area to test something out. I think Lala is taking her fitness test there as well, so I'll check in with her too. I'll catch you later."

"Later, Hotshot." Kestria replied as she waved a wing at him.

"Just be careful, Yuuto." Manako added with a look of worry on her face.

"Will do." Yuuto answered as he made his way to the elevator and made his way down, leaving the two liminal women by themselves.

With the hybrid out of sight, Kestria nudged an elbow against her co-worker, gaining the monoeye's attention. "Hey, Manako. I didn't realise you had a thing for Hotshot, though I can't exactly blame you." The harpy teased as she gave her a suggestive smirk.

Manako's cheeks went bright red at the comment, and she immediately panicked and started waving her hands defensively at her. "N-N-N-No! I-It's not like that! I-I-I assure you that it's completely plutonic admiration of a fellow co-worker's abilities!" She exclaimed in an embarrassed tone.

Kestria giggled to herself as she patted her wing against her co-worker's back. "It's okay, I was only teasing. Though you have to admit he's quite the looker."

The monoeye sighed to herself. "Please stop already…" She begged though she knew that the raptor harpy wouldn't let her off so easy.

* * *

Sometime later in the track and field area of the gym, a lightweight centaur and a land harpy were racing each other down the race track. The centaur stood about 5'10" and had brown eyes and long brown hair tied in a ponytail, as well as long pointed ears covered in brown fur. She had pale skin on her human half, and her horse half was covered in light brown fur. She was wearing a yellow gym top on her chest, yellow gym bottoms that covered her horse half, as well as a yellow headband around her forehead. The land harpy was about 6'5" and had tanned skin, brown eyes and spiky shoulder-length silver hair. Unlike most harpies, her wings were short and stubby, which were covered in beige feathers. Her legs were long and muscular, the top half of her legs from the upper thigh down to her knees were covered in beige feathers, and the lower half which was large dinosaur-like feet with black claws covered in yellow scales. She was wearing white running shorts and a white and red checkered tank top as well as a headband and two armbands which also had a white and red checkered design. The pair was easily keeping pace with each other as they raced down the track, neither one willing to let the other overtake them.

"Hey, Gabriela. Don't think you'll beat me this time." The centaur commented as she kept her focus on the track.

The harpy smirked to herself as she quickly glanced back at her adversary. "Big talk from such a small horse, Emily. You'll have to do better than that to put this Chika off her A-game." Gabriela replied in a sassy tone in a Hispanic accent. "Besides, I'm only just warming up."

"Well, that makes two of us." Emily responded in a confident tone as she glanced back at the harpy.

As the two continued to race each other, they suddenly heard powerful footfalls from behind them, accompanied by what sounded like something crackling. They glanced behind them and their eyes widened in surprise at what they saw. Yuuto had come up sprinting behind the two runners as his muscles coursed with chaotic energy, pushing him to gain ground on them. The liminal women slowed down without realising as he pulled up to the land harpy's side.

"Woah, what the!" Emily exclaimed with surprise.

"Santo Cristo…" Gabriela muttered to herself in amazement.

The hybrid glanced back at the pair with a smirk on his face. "Guess you girls haven't seen an elder devil hybrid before. Kind of surprised that I can keep with you two myself if I have to be honest."

The centaur and the harpy glanced at each other for a moment before smirks appeared on their faces. "Guess I'll have to get serious." Gabriela said out loud in a smug tone.

"Likewise, I can't let myself be beaten by a human in a race, even if he is a hybrid." Emily added, her voice full of determination.

With that, the pair of liminals rushed ahead of the MON agent in a burst of speed, a pace that not even he could match in his devil mode. Yuuto's smirk disappeared as it was replaced with a look of surprise. He pushed himself to go faster, but his muscles wouldn't allow him to move faster than he already was. He was left in the dust. Back at the finish line, Ms Smith, who was wearing her own gym outfit waited there with her phone in hand, eagerly awaiting the results of this race. The two liminal women came racing towards the line and crossed it almost simultaneously. The government agent hit the button of her stopwatch app in succession to record both their times, at which point both Emily and Gabriela slowed to a stop and allowed themselves a moment to relax their aching muscles. After about a few seconds, Yuuto eventually crossed the line in an exhausted state. He slowed to a halt next to them and bent over to catch his breath as he rested his hands against his legs for support. He soon reverted back to his base form, too exhausted to maintain his devil mode.

As he was taking deep breaths, Kuroko walked up to him with a smug look on her face as she looked at his time on the stopwatch app. "Not bad, Bishie-kun. Four-hundred meters in 31.87 seconds, pretty phenomenal by human standards, though not enough to keep up with some of the faster liminals out there." She teased as she stood in front of him.

Yuuto was panting heavily as he struggled to regain his breath. "…Yeah… might've… overestimated… my devil mode…" He said in between ragged breaths.

While he was still catching his breath, both Emily and Gabriela walked up to either side of the hybrid to check up on him. "Hey, are you okay there?" The centaur asked as she leant down and placed a hand on his back, rubbing it gently.

The blonde looked up at her with a smirk on his face. "…Yeah… I'll be fine… just give me a sec…"

"That was pretty impressive, but you've got to be loco if you think you can keep up with us." Gabriela said in a teasing tone.

After a moment, the MON agent finally stood up straight as Emily removed her hand from his back. "Doesn't matter, I just wanted to find out how fast I could go. The faces you pulled went I initially caught up with you two were priceless though." He replied as he gave the harpy a cheeky grin.

"Well, that went as well as I expected. Thanks for your help, you two." Ms Smith interjected with an appreciative smile as she looked at the two liminal women.

"Oh, not at all, Ms Smith. I had a fun time." Emily answered with a bright smile.

"Yeah, any excuse for a good run." The land harpy added as she held her wings against her hips.

Just then, Kuroko looked down at her phone and checked their times. "And just so you know, Emily won by about a tenth of a second."

Emily was overjoyed as she let out a victorious squeal. "Yes! All that training's paid off!"

Gabriela let out an exasperated sigh, annoyed that she let the centaur beat her. "Maldita sea…" She groaned in Spanish.

"Regardless, your assistance has been very helpful. You're free to go about your usual routine if you wish." The government agent added with a polite smile.

"Will do." Emily answered as she started to trot away, though not before waving goodbye to the hybrid. "See you soon, Kazama. Looking forward to the next race." She said with a sweet smile on her face.

"Yeah, catch you later, Loco." Gabriela added as she followed after the centaur, waving a wing at him as she left.

"Yeah, see you soon." Yuuto replied as he waved back at them.

Kuroko turned to face the blonde as a teasing smirk curled onto her lips. "I have to say, you definitely know how to impress the ladies."

*Sigh* "Don't start, Ma'am. I was only testing the limits of my devil mode. Besides, I'm more concerned with how Lala's doing right now." He replied in an annoyed tone.

"Why don't you see for yourself, Bishie-kun." She responded as she pointed towards the asphalt area at the centre of the track and field.

Lala was in the middle of doing a set of push-ups, her body, which was wearing a black gym outfit with pink linings and her scarf covering her cross-section was, struggling to perform the task while her head lay nearby with an exhausted look on her face. Looming over her to her side was her instructor for the day, whom every one of the MON agents referred to as Serge. Sergeant Cynthia Cunningham, training instructor for MON. She was a long-legged arachne with long flowing blonde hair and six crimson eyes, with one smaller pair placed under her main pair of eyes, and the other smaller pair above them hidden under her long fringe and her black peaked cap. Her hands were covered in a light brown carapace, as were her spider body and her eight extreme long and slender legs. She was wearing a white tight-fitting button-up shirt and a long black skirt which she wore from her torso all the way down to her pedipalps. She also had a yellow armband around her right bicep with M.O.N. Instructor written in bold black font on it.

The imposing woman looked down at the dullahan with a stern look on her face, unimpressed by the new recruit's performance so far. "Pick up the pace, Recruit! My frail grandmother could do twenty push-ups faster than you!" She yelled in a commanding tone.

The young reaper groaned as she continued to struggle with her push-ups. "The flames o' the Underworld would be more bearable than this punishment..." She complained to herself, though this didn't escape the arachne's notice.

Cynthia placed one of her legs onto the recruit's back and applied some pressure to it, making Lala's task all the more challenging. "Seems like it isn't difficult enough for you if you have the energy to complain." She said in a sadistic tone as a wicked smile crossed her lips. "Now, less belly-aching and more push-ups."

"Y-Y-Yes, Ma'am!" Lala exclaimed in a panicked tone as she continued with her task.

Yuuto sighed to himself as he watched his girlfriend struggle. "I think Serge is enjoying this a little too much if you ask me."

"Perhaps, but she's good at what she does." Ms Smith replied as the pair started making their way towards the arachne and dullahan.

As the pair got closer, the sergeant noticed them and lifted her leg off of Lala, now standing at attention at the presence of the government agent. "Ma'am." She said as she saluted her.

"At ease, Sergeant." The human woman replied with a smirk on her face. "Tell me, how's the new recruit faring?"

Cynthia now took on a more relaxed posture. "She'll need a lot of work to get up to scratch, but she has potential."

As they were talking, Lala was straining to perform her last push-up with sweat dripping from her head and body, groaning as she did so. "T-T-Twenty!" She exclaimed before her body collapsed to the ground as she started to pant from exhaustion.

The sergeant glanced down at the recruit before sighing to herself in annoyance. "Yes, definitely a lot of work."

"Well, if anyone can bring her up to snuff, it's you." Kuroko replied with a confident smile. "There are a few things I wish to discuss with you about Miss O'Reilly's training."

"Of course, Ma'am." The arachne answered with a salute.

Ms Smith nodded in response before she turned her attention back to the hybrid of the group. "Kazama, keep an eye on Lala while Cunningham and I have our discussion."

"You don't have to tell me twice, Ma'am."

With that, Kuroko and Cynthia made their leave, leaving the couple to their own devices. With the two women gone, Yuuto went up to his girlfriend's head and picked it up, holding her gently in his hands as he looked down at her with a loving smile.

"You okay there, Babe? Seems like Serge's test did a number on you." He teased in a caring tone.

The dullahan steadied her breathing and looked back up at him as her body struggled to sit up straight. "I will survive, though the torture that woman put me through would put the Underworld's torments tae shame." She complained, still trying to recuperate herself.

The blonde smirked to himself as he moved her head, so he held it under one arm as he moved to where her body was and held a hand out to her. Her body grabbed it in response and he pulled her up to her feet. "She can be a bit harsh, though believe it or not, that was the easy stuff she put you through." He replied as he placed her head back onto her neck.

Lala readjusted her head to make sure it was on right before she looked back at him with a pout on her face. "I would nay dare tae imagine what horrors await me then if that were the fairest o' punishments."

"Oh, trust me, you'd know if she gave you a real punishment." Yuuto said as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Still remember my first day of MON training. Serge found out that me, Zee and Doppel were suffering from hangovers from the night before, and she made us do fifty laps while dragging tires behind us. She even started chasing us because she thought we weren't going fast enough, and my God that woman moves fast when she wants to."

The young reaper's face went slightly pale after hearing that little tale. "Tae think ye endured such punishment and tae have come out o' it with yer being intact. Ye truly never cease tae amaze me, me Love."

He gave her a loving smile before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a gentle hug raising a hand to the back of her head as he started to stroke her hair. "Don't worry, Lala. You'll soon get used to it. Besides, I'll be here for you if things get tough."

Lala let a warm smile crossed her lips as she wrapped her arms tightly around his chest and nestled her head in the crook of his neck. "I am fortunate tae have ye in me life, Yuuto. I would nay know what tae do without ye sometimes." She replied as her cheeks went bright red at the love and affection she was receiving from her boyfriend.

The hybrid chuckled to himself as he slightly tightened his grip on her. "I should be the lucky one here, I wouldn't even be here right now if not for you." He said in a loving tone as his own cheeks went bright red.

The dullahan pulled her head back slightly and gave him a loving smile back before she gently pressed her lips to his. Their lips gently glossed over each other for a moment before they separated, only for her to rest her forehead against his, their eyes locked as they stared lovingly at each other. "Yuuto, I love ye so much." She spoke up as she raised a hand to caress his cheek.

The blonde raised a hand and placed it on top of hers. "I love you too." After a moment the pair pulled away from each other, though still holding the other's hand. "C'mon, we should get going. I think we're done here for the day."

"Aye, I should return tae me domain and recover from this ordeal." Lala replied as she moved in close and wrapped her arms around his arm, giving him a loving smile as she did so.

Yuuto nodded and returned a smile of his own as the couple started making their way out of the track and field area. Whatever happened from here on out, he was just happy to have Lala by his side, and the future looked bright for them.

* * *

After a while, everyone got changed back into their casual outfits and had met up just outside the gym. All the MON agent stood in a group together, while Ms Smith stood in front of them with Lala and Sergeant Cunningham stood either side of her.

"Great work today, everyone. You can all have the rest of the day off, but I'll see you back at work tomorrow at the normal time." She told the group before turning to face the young reaper. "Lala, I'll drive you back to Darling-kun's place, so you're with me."

"Aye, I fear that I may lose meself tae the shadows in me current state." The Chuunihan replied as she dramatically placed a hand over her face.

"Oh, quit being overdramatic. I'll need your full attention by the time we get back, so we can start making arrangements for what we've discussed earlier."

Lala's cheeks went red at her comment. "It is fortunate that I am as eager as ye are tae make these arrangements."

The government agent nodded in response before turning to the MON agents once more. "Alright everyone, you're dismissed."

With that Ms Smith, Lala and Cynthia made their leave, along with most of the other MON agents. The only ones left standing there were Yuuto, Blare, Kasumi and Tio. The empusa of the group moved to here captain's side and tugged on his sleeve. "Senpai, I've been meaning to ask. What's in that black case you're carrying?" She asked with a curious look on her face.

The hybrid looked back at the long black rectangular bag he had slung over his shoulder. "Oh, I brought Black Lotus with me." He replied nonchalantly as if it were a normal thing to carry around in public.

"Wait, why are you carrying your katana around with you?!" The hellhound blurted out of surprise as her flame lashes burst to life.

"I told Sweetie to bring it with him." The ogress interjected in a chipper tone.

Both Blare and Kasumi look up at Tio with questioning looks on their faces, having no idea why the ogress would make such a request from their squad captain.

"It's alright, you two." Yuuto said to regain their attention." Tio thought it'd be a good idea to have her boyfriend inspect it."

"Yeah, my Puddin is a really talented blacksmith, and when I told him about Sweetie and his sword, he just had to see it in person. He's so cute when he gets excited over stuff like that~" The ogress interjected with a dreamy look on her face.

"Yeah, which is why I brought it with me." He finished explaining. "From what I've been told, his forge shouldn't be too far from here."

"So, what are we waiting for~?!" Tio exclaimed as she grabbed the hybrid by the had and started running down the road towards where presumably her boyfriend's forge was with Yuuto being dragged across the pavement, unable to do anything to stop her.

"Hey, hold up!" He yelled at her before shouting back at his squad mates. "I'll see you later! Stay out of trouble!"

The hellhound and empusa just stood there in silence as they saw Yuuto being dragged off by their excitable co-worker. It took a moment before Blare spoke up. "You know, he could just go devil mode and shock Tio to stop her." She said out loud.

"Perhaps he doesn't have the heart to hurt her, and besides, he probably doesn't want to get in trouble with her boyfriend if he did that." Kasumi reasoned.

"Hmm, good point." The hellhound replied before looking towards her squadmate. "There's a good ramen place nearby if you want to go. Kes and Raia said they were heading there, so we might as well join them."

She was answered by the growling of the shinobi's stomach, who in turn wrapped her arms around it in embarrassment as her cheeks went bright red. "An excellent suggestion. I'm rather famished after all that working out."

"Tell me about it! I could eat a horse!" Blare shouted jovially as she started making her way there with the empusa in tow.

As they headed towards the ramen shop, they spared a thought for their poor squad captain. They knew that he was tough, though they doubted that even he in his devil mode could endure the excitableness and carelessness of their ogress co-worker. Only time would tell if that were the case.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry to keep you waiting, tend to get busy this time of year, so updates might be a bit infrequent. I wanted to use this chapter to set up a baseline for Yuuto's Devil Mode, as well as fit in some fun interactions in between.**

 **As for Lala joining MON, I don't think it would be too far of a stretch of the imagination. MON can't easily handle spirits, and she can, plus this lets her and Yuuto spend more time together.**

 **Other than that, there's one more announcement I'd like to make. I plan to write another MonMusu story in the near future, though it'll be the more traditional host/homestay setup we're used to, though I'll try to do my own twist on the idea. Keep an eye out for 'Handing my homestay's libido' in the near future.**

 **As always, follow/favourite if you want to keep up to date, and don't forget to leave a review or any suggestions you may have. Thanks for reading my story and I'll see you next time!**


	44. Forging onward

Within the confines of a small forge, sparks flew as a hammer struck against hot-tempered steel, that belonging to a well-fashioned breastplate. The towering eight-foot-tall man worked diligently as he continued to hammer the hot metal into shape, with sweat glistening as it rolled down from his exposed forearms onto the thick leather gloves that he wore for protection. He stared down at his work with his large singular green eye, trying to work the imperfections out of the metal he was working on, even as the sweat dripped from his brow just below his short brown hair, slowly trickling down his stubbled face. He didn't let the heat bother him though as he was more concerned about finishing the task at hand.

At the other end of the forge, a short 3'10" man with short blonde hair, brown eyes and a long thick blonde beard almost reaching down to his ankles was busying himself polishing a short sword that was nearly as tall as he was. He had already finished polishing up a full set of centaur plate armour and the short sword was the last item to be checked over and maintained. With a sigh of relief, the dwarf wiped his brow and placed the now polished sword onto the cart with the rest of the armour and started carting it towards the front counter.

"There you go, Lady Shianus. One fully polished set of armour for you, all in good condition." He spoke out loud in an indeterminate Scandinavian accent. "That new breastplate you've ordered should be ready by tomorrow."

At the front counter stood Maredrianna Shianus, along with her daughter, Centorea. They had come to the forge to have their armaments checked over and to have a new breastplate forged for the younger centaur, who apparently was still growing in that area.

"Many thanks, Master Dwarf. Thou hast done us a great service this day." The older mare replied in a respectful tone. "Now, as for thy payment."

"Worry about that tomorrow when you pick up the breastplate. We won't be going anywhere anytime soon." The dwarf said as he waved his hand dismissively at her.

Maredrianna gave him a nod in affirmation. "As thou wish." She said before turning her attention towards her daughter. "Cerea, I would like to request thy assistance in returning my armaments to my current place of residence."

"As thou wish, Mother. Though I do not wish to take too long on the matter, I do not wish to worry Milord with my extended absence." Centorea answered as she allowed her mother to start strapping her belongings to her back, ready to take it back to her mother's current living quarters while staying in Japan, which just so happened to be the same apartment building the MON agents lived in, though her quarters were far more spacious in comparison.

While the two centaurs organised the armour, the front door of the forge opened with a chime, followed by the bright and cheery aura of a certain ogress. "Puddin! I'm here~!" Tio shouted in a sing-song tone dragging her hybrid co-worker in with her, who looked like he had a close brush with death.

Yuuto freed himself from her grasp and bent himself over while he caught his breath, resting his hands on his thighs. "…Thank God… I thought… I was going… to die there…" He muttered to himself in between ragged breaths.

The larger blacksmith looked up from his work as he quenched it, now letting a bright smile crossed his lips as his eye locked with those of his adorable girlfriend. "Ah, my Pumpkin. It is good to be seeing you here." The cyclops said in a thick Russian accent as he placed the breastplate down before making his way towards the front counter.

Tio had a bright smile on her face as she raced towards the counter. "There you are~!"

The pair met up at the counter and leaned towards each other before locking their lips together. They held the kiss for a moment before reluctantly pulling back from each other. Tio pressed the base of her horn against her boyfriend's forehead before the pair nuzzled their noses together.

"I missed you~" The ogress mewled in a sweet tone.

"I feel very much the same." The cyclops replied as he continued to nuzzle his girlfriend.

While the couple were enjoying their moment, Maredrianna and Centorea moved next to the blonde after he recuperated himself. "Greetings, Kazama. It is good to see thee in good health." The older mare said to him with a smirk on her lips.

Yuuto finally stood up straight as he locked eyes with her. "Lady Shianus, it's good to see you again," He said politely before noticing Centorea next to her. "and you too, Cerea. What brings the two of you here?"

Maredrianna had a bemused look on her face at the hybrid calling her daughter by her shortened name. "Art thou familiar with my daughter, Kazama?"

At this point, the young knight stepped in to explain the situation. *Ahem* "Yuuto here helped look after myself and my fellow homestays during Milord's admission into the hospital. We ended up finding a shared interest in honing our skills of the blade. He has been most helpful to me in that regard."

"Ah, I see." The older mare replied before returning her attention to him. "Thou hast my thanks for helping Cerea hone her skills. It is difficult for her to practice by herself in her current environment."

"Mayhap, Mother. But thou must realise that I now have other priorities besides training." The younger mare added as her cheeks went red. "With all the trouble Milord seems to attract, I always find myself trying to safeguard him from some sort of danger."

"Then at least thou art putting thy skills to good use, Daughter." Her mother said before returning her attention to Yuuto once more. "Prithee tell, Kazama. What brings thee to the forge this day?"

"It was Tio's idea, actually." The hybrid replied as he pointed in the general direction of his ogress co-worker. "She told her boyfriend about me and my katana, and he insisted on seeing it in person, or so that's what Tio told me."

"Hey, Sweetie! Come over here for a second~!" Tio shouted to get his attention while waving at him. "Come and say hi to my boyfriend already~!"

Yuuto sighed to himself at her overly enthusiastic demeanour. "Speaking of which, I should probably go introduce myself. Please excuse me for a second." He said to the centaur pair with a respectful bow before heading towards the front counter.

As the hybrid went towards the counter, the blonde ogress moved up behind him and hurried him along, excited about introducing him to her boyfriend. "Puddin, this is Yuuto Kazama. He's Squad Bravo's captain, as well as MON's hacking and sword specialist." She said as she guided the hybrid to the front counter.

"Ah, greetings, Kazama. It is the greatest of the pleasures to be meeting you." The cyclops replied, though his Japanese seemed to be rather broken. "I am Nikolay Alexandrovich Kuznetsov, and I am Tionishia's boyfriend. Though I am to be imagining that you have been told that already." He added as he took a glove off one of his hands and extended it towards the hybrid.

Yuuto smirked back at the goliath of a man and took his hand, though the blacksmith's hand easily eclipsed his and the cyclops gripped his hand around the hybrid's own before they shook. "The pleasure's mine, Nikolay. I've heard good things about you."

"Oh, I am certain that my Pumpkin has told you of my many accomplishments in this fine forge." Nikolay said with a smug look on his face.

"Well, to some degree she has, but I guess she's told you a fair bit about me."

"Indeed, she has, and she was saying that you are not a typical human, though I do not quite understand how this is the case. You are to be looking normal for a human from what I can see." The cyclops replied with a bemused look on his face.

Tio, who was still standing right behind the blonde hybrid placed her hands on his shoulders and shook him lightly. "Hey, Sweetie. Show him the devil thingy you can do~" She requested of him in a sweet tone.

"Devil thing?" Maredrianna spoke up in confusion. "Kazama, art thou hiding something?"

"I believe my Master briefly mentioned to us that Yuuto is what the ICEP refer to as a hybrid, though I have yet to see this supposed transformation of his in person." Centorea explained to her mother.

The hybrid smirked to himself as he stepped away from his ogress co-worker. "You guys might want to step back for a moment. This transformation can be a little shocking for someone seeing it for the first time." He said in warning, at which point Tio immediately stepped back from him to give him space.

The dwarf, who had stayed quiet up to this point opened up the swing door of the front counter and made his way into the customer waiting area to get a better view of what the hybrid was about to do. "Well, this should be interesting." He muttered to himself.

Once he was ready, Yuuto moved into the centre of the waiting area and shut his eyes as his body began to tense up. Within moments small arcs of crimson lightning began to coalesce across his body. Soon the chaotic energy intensified and began to spark from him, which ended up spooking Centorea for a moment. Everyone else looked on with shock and awe, apart from Tio who had already grown accustomed to his transformation. After a moment, the hybrid opened his eyes to reveal their demonic form, his irises now a crimson red with his now slit pupils, and the sclera of his eyes now pitch black.

He glanced over at Nikolay and gave him a confident smirk. "So, what do you think." He asked, his voice now reverberating thanks to the chaotic energy that swelled inside of him.

The cyclops had a massive grin on his face, impressed by the transformation. "This is quite the surprise, but not of the unpleasant kind. Now I am understanding what my Pumpkin was talking about in regard to you."

Tio had a bright smile on her as she walked up next to her co-worker. "See, I told you he was pretty cool~" She said as she subconsciously placed her hand on top of the hybrid's head, forgetting about his transformation. This resulted in her getting a nasty shock from him and she immediately pulled her hand away, which was now numb. "Owwie…" she whined to herself.

"Tio, how many times have I told you not to touch me when I'm like this? I'm still struggling to control it." He lectured her as he checked to see if she was alright. "Is your hand okay?"

"Yeah, Sweetie. It's just a little numb right now…"

Yuuto looked up at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, it should wear off soon. Well, it wears off quickly for Blare at least." He added while trying to suppress a chuckle.

Maredrianna and Centorea trotted over to the MON agents with looks of awe still on their faces. "Kazama, how long hast thou been able to do this?" The older centaur asked.

"Only recently, I'd say it's been just over a fortnight since I first activated it."

Maredrianna couldn't help but smirk at him. "Well, it certainly explains a great deal about thee."

"To think thou art able to accomplish such a feat, it is truly remarkable…" Centorea commented, still staring at the hybrid in awe.

"Well, I'll be damned. Never thought I'd see an elder devil hybrid in person." The dwarf spoke up, catching the MON agent's attention.

Yuuto was somewhat surprised that the blacksmith was able to tell that he was part elder devil. "How could you tell?" He asked with a confused look on his face.

The dwarf smirked at the hybrid as he walked over to him. "Not just any devil can emit such quantities of chaotic energy, you know." He said as he gave him a confident look. "But where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself." He added as he stopped in front of the young man and extended a hand towards him while giving him a massive grin. "The name's Olaf Lindberg, and welcome to my forge. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

The MON agent smirked back at him before he deactivated his devil mode on took his hand. "The pleasure's mine, Olaf."

After a moment Olaf let go of his hand and made his way towards the front counter. "So, what brings a hybrid like yourself to my humble forge?" He asked as he made his way through the swing door and stood himself on top of a wooden crate to look over the counter. "I did hear Nikolay mention that he was expecting to see someone today, though I thought it might've been Tio again."

"That is to be the case, Master Olaf. But my Pumpkin has to be saying a great deal about Kazama and of his katana that I had to be, how does the saying go, to be 'seeing it in the flesh'?" The cyclops said, still having trouble with his Japanese.

"Hehe, that's right, Puddin~" Tio answered before she gave him a loving peck on the cheek.

The hybrid chuckled to himself as he moved towards the counter himself. "Well, I'm here now, though I believe you're more interested in seeing this." As he stopped in front of the counter, he unsheathed Black Lotus from its sheath and placed it on top of the counter for the dwarf and cyclops to see in all its glory. "There it is, Black Lotus. I've been told that it's been handed down my family for many generations."

Nikolay stared at the blade in awe. He could tell straight away that it was a finely crafted weapon, and despite how well-kept it was, he could tell that it was an old weapon indeed, certainly two or three centuries old at the very least, yet there was no sign of rust to be seen anywhere. The cyclops picked up the weapon in his large hands and brought it closer to his face to inspect it further. At first glance, it looked like a steel weapon, like most katanas were, but upon closer inspection, he could see a slight crimson shimmer to the metal in question, something that wasn't common in steel.

"No, it couldn't be…" He muttered to himself in disbelief.

"What's the problem up there?" The dwarf questioned.

"…I am to be requiring a second opinion, Master Olaf." The cyclops replied as he handed over the weapon to him.

Olaf took the weapon into his own hands and gave it a closer inspection himself. He looked down the metal himself, but sure enough, he could see the crimson shimmer himself. His eyes widened in the realisation that they found something extremely rare.

"Nikolay, you don't think it might be-?"

"I am to be almost certain of it being the case."

The dwarf soon smirked to himself once more. "Well, I'll be damned. Never thought I'd see one of these outside the depths of Hell."

Yuuto stood there with a puzzled look on his face, unsure of what the blacksmiths were even talking about. "Wait, isn't it just a steel katana?"

Olaf looked up from the blade towards the hybrid before he placed Black Lotus back onto the countertop. "Lad, what you have here is a master-crafted Chaosium blade."

This only confused the MON agent further. "Chaosium?"

"Indeed, it is a metal ore that can only be found in the depths of the Demonic Realms. It is said that only the devils know how to refine and forge the stuff, meant to be stronger than steel too. Apparently, the stuff is supposedly indestructible." The master blacksmith explained. "Rumour has it that it can even hold the charge of demonic energy that the elder devils produce."

"Is that so?" The hybrid asked as he picked up Black Lotus. "Well, let's find out."

With that, the hybrid stood back from the counter and activated his devil mode once more. As he did so he managed to focus a great amount of chaotic energy towards the hand holding his katana, and sure enough, the charge of energy started to coalesce around the weapon. He then deactivated his devil mode once more, though despite not producing any more chaotic energy himself the blade was still charged with the stuff, much to the surprise of everyone in the forge.

"…Incredible…" Nikolay muttered to himself in disbelief.

"Heh, guess those devils weren't boasting over nothing after all." Olaf added with a smirk on his face.

Yuuto looked down at the katana in amazement, surprised that the charge was actually contained to the weapon itself. "Okay, that's pretty cool, but we have a problem here." He said as he held Black Lotus up. "I have no way of discharging it safely."

"Indeed, thou wouldst most certainly cause irreparable damage carrying such a weapon around as it is." Centorea said with worry in her voice.

"I've got something you could give it a good whack at." The dwarf interjected as he hooked a thumb behind him towards an armour stand with an old breastplate resting on it. "I use that old thing to test the sharpness of a blade on, so you're more than welcome to have a swing at it."

"You sure about that?"

"Of course, the energy should just disperse once the blade connects with the armour. Now, get your keister in here and get it over with, the anticipation is killing me here."

The hybrid nodded and soon made his way into the other side of the forge with the master blacksmith's permission. He made his way to the armour stand and stood in front of it with Black Lotus held in his right hand, still charged with chaotic energy. He then took a deep breath before he held up the blade with both hands and prepared himself to strike at the breastplate that sat atop the armour stand. Without hesitation, he raised the katana and swung it down with a double-handed strike, and the tip of it struck at the armour. The moment it made contact the chaotic energy instantly sparked into the breastplate, and without warning the armour, as well as the stand it was resting on exploded into pieces, all of which scattered across the back area of the forge. Yuuto was pushed back by the small blast as he wasn't expecting it, though Nikolay was close behind and managed to catch the MON agent before he could hit the floor. Everyone in the forge had shocked looks on their faces, all surprised by the sudden blast of energy.

"Well, I wasn't quite expecting that to happen. That demonic energy of yours certainly has some kick to it, Lad." Olaf commented as he tried to make sense of what just happened.

"You okay there, Sweetie?" Tio asked with worry from the other side of the counter.

Yuuto managed to stand up straight with the help of the cyclops and took a moment to calm himself down, still holding Black Lotus in his right hand. "Yeah, I'm alright. Nothing to worry about." He replied in an attempt to reassure everyone.

"But that was most unexpected," Nikolay interjected. "for such a weapon to be containing such destructive power and not to be shattered by it is unimaginable."

"Such power. To think that Yuuto was capable of such a thing…" Centorea muttered to herself in disbelief.

Maredrianna merely smirked to herself at her daughter's comment. "Thou must admit that it is rather impressive, is it not?"

"…Yes, thou doth speak the truth, Mother."

The hybrid looked down at the weapon in his hand with a mix of amazement and confusion. Why would his father just hand over such a thing to him? He had half thought that his father would've demanded it back after rejecting his offer to re-join their Yakuza group, but he let him keep Black Lotus despite that. He couldn't help but wonder what else his father had come upon that would allow him to freely hand over his once precious weapon. He sighed to himself before he re-sheathed the katana and started making his way back to the other side of the counter.

"Seems there's more to Black Lotus than I originally thought. Guess I'll have to take extra care while using it now." He said as he went through the swing door of the counter.

"Indeed, it would be the greatest of the shame to lose such a fine blade, Kazama." The cyclops said as he pondered about the unique qualities of the weapon.

"Lad," Olaf called out to the MON agent as he stood on top of the crate on his side of the counter. "just so you know, you're welcome back here anytime if you need any repairs done for it, though trying to get my hands on Chaosium might be a little tricky if I have to be honest."

Yuuto glanced back at the dwarf and smirked at him. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Olaf." He then turned to face his ogress co-worker. "You ready to go, Tio?"

"Yeah, just one second, Sweetie~" She replied before she made her way to the counter to get her boyfriend's attention. "Puddin, I'm heading off now~"

Nikolay made his way to the counter with a smile on his face. "Alright, just be making sure that you are careful when you are making your way back home." He replied before the pair pressed their lips together briefly. "I am to be lucky to have fallen in love with you, Pumpkin." He added with reddened cheeks.

"I love you too~" Tionishia replied before giving him another peck on the lips.

As the pair were sharing in their affections, the hybrid made his way to the centaur pair to say his goodbyes. "Lady Shianus, Cerea, it was good to see you again." He said as he bowed to them.

"Verily, it was a pleasant surprise." Maredrianna answered as she did the same. "Take care of thyself, Kazama."

"Indeed, it was good to see thee in good health as well, Yuuto," Centorea added as she bowed towards the MON agent. "perhaps I shall see thee at Milord's home in the near future?"

Yuuto couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "More than likely. I still need to sort things out with Lala anyway. I'll see you soon." He answered as he began to make his leave and waved at the two mares.

"Bye, everyone! See you soon~!" The ogress shouted joyously as she waved at everyone.

The others said their goodbyes as the pair of MON agents made their leave.

As they started making their way back, Tio couldn't help but start up a conversation with her co-worker. "Well, that was fun to watch~" She said in a sweet tone.

"Yeah, and very enlightening too." The hybrid answered as he glanced back at the black carrier bag that held his katana once more, but he couldn't help but let a feeling of melancholy overcome him as the memories related to the weapon came back to him.

"Sweetie, you okay there~?"

Yuuto shook himself from his thoughts as he looked back at the towering blonde and gave her a forced smile. "Yeah, totally fine, Tio. No need to worry about-" Before he could finish his sentence, the ogress pulled him into a crushing hug in an attempt to make him feel better.

"It's okay, Sweetie. I and everyone in MON are here for you~" She said as he struggled to free himself from her cleavage, though she soon let him go, allowing him to breathe again.

"…Thanks, Tio. I appreciate the sentiment…" He replied with reddened cheeks. After an uncomfortable silence, he recomposed himself and activated his devil mode. "Anyway, I'm going over to Kimihito's place to check up on Lala. Pretty sure she's sorting out her Exchange Program paperwork with Ms Smith right now. Plus, I think she will want me to sign some paperwork as well, so might as well get it out of the way as soon as." He then started sprinting off towards his friend's house as he waved back as the ogress. "I'll see you back at the complex later!"

"Bye Sweetie, take care~!" Tionishia shouted back as she did the same.

As Yuuto sprinted down the street, careful not to crash into anyone, he couldn't help but let his thought wonder about what waited for him and Lala in the future. They'd soon be moving in together, and he just couldn't wait for the day to come. He let a warm smile cross his lips at the thought. It couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

Back at the Kurusu residence, Kimihito and Lala were busy signing paperwork in the living room as Ms Smith watched over them with a smirk on her face. The government agent was elated at the fact that she managed to recruit a reaper of death into MON. All it took was for the dullahan to fall for her favourite and only male subordinate and a little bit of coxing with the promise of their eventual 'eternal union' as the chuunibyou liked to call it. With a sigh of relief, both the host and the young reaper placed their pens down and relaxed into their seats, happy to get this torment out of the way.

"Wow, who would've thought a homestay transferal would need so many signatures?" Kimihito said out loud, looking as though he was about to lose the will to live.

"Aye, though this torment will be worth it once meself and me Love are tae reside in our own sanctum together…" She added as she felt a sense of relief from finishing the required paperwork.

Ms Smith compiled all the paperwork on the coffee table and quickly checked through it to make sure all the required signatures were where they needed to be. "Well, that should be it on your end, Darling-kun. I bet you must be ecstatic about having one less mouth to feed." She teased with a smirk still plastered on her face.

The male human sat himself up straight with a look of melancholy on his face. "Honestly it'll be sad to see you go, Lala." He answered as he looked over towards the dullahan. "It feels weird though, seeing as you haven't been here for nearly as long as the other girls."

Lala also sat herself up straight as she looked back at her soon-to-be former host with a confident look on her face. "Do nay fret, Kurusu. The fates have destined a path fer me that I dare nay wish tae stray from, though do nay think that me departure from this plane will prevent me from returning someday. Yer talent fer avoiding death is still an enigma tae me after all." She replied dramatically as she placed a hand over her face.

*Sigh* "I was afraid you'd say that…" The host said in a defeated tone.

Ms Smith finished off the rest of her coffee and let out a sigh of satisfaction. "Well regardless, this is a big step for you, Lala. You'll have more freedoms as an official agent of MON but seeing that you haven't completed your term in the exchange program yet, it'll be easier to make Bishie-kun your host for the time being, even if it's in name only. Speaking of which, I probably should've asked him to come over with us to sort out the necessary documentation."

"Shall I go and retrieve me Love from his current task, Ma'am?" Lala asked as she stood up to her feet.

Just then there was a knocking on the door, much to the surprise of the trio.

"Who could that be?" Kimihito mused as he got up from his seat and started making his way to the front door. "Can't be Cerea, she has her own key."

"I bet it's a certain devil boy we were just talking about." Kuroko answered in full confidence.

"Didn't you say you last saw him at the gym? There's no way he'd get here so quickly from there."

"You owe me a free meal if I'm right, Darling-kun."

The young man looked back at her as he began to open the door. "And you can stop asking for coffee if you're wrong."

"Guess she gets to try out that crab tempura you've been working on then." A demonic sounding voice interjected.

Kimihito let out a short yelp as he stumbled backwards and landed on his ass, while the blonde MON agent couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's reaction. "Yuuto?! How did you get here so fast?!" The host exclaimed in shock.

"Hmm, devil mode." He replied plainly as he stepped into the house and took his shoes off. "Oh, pardon the intrusion by the way."

The host sighed to himself as he stood himself back up. "Trust me, you're not the one who's intruding."

"What was that, Darling-kun? I didn't quite catch that." Ms Smith interjected with a polite smile, though the dark aura surrounding her suggested that she heard the small quip quite clearly.

"N-N-N-Nothing, Ma'am!" Kimihito hastily replied in a panicked state.

"Oh, good. Must've been hearing things then." She added as the aura started to die down. She then turned her attention to the hybrid. "And speak of the devil, we were just talking about you, Bishie-kun."

Yuuto let out a barely audible groan as he gave the government agent a look of annoyance. "Please tell me that was unintentional, Ma'am."

"Oh, trust me, it wasn't." Ms Smith replied as she took off her sunglasses. "And besides, you'll be hearing a lot more of it from now on." She added with a smirk and a wink.

"Oh, joy…" He responded sarcastically.

"Me Love," Lala spoke up as she started making her way towards him. "It is good tae see ye."

The hybrid couldn't help but let a warm smile cross his lips as he deactivated his devil mode. The young reaper then wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, which he happily reciprocated. "Hey Babe, it's good to see you too, even though we haven't long since seen each other."

The dullahan pulled her head back and locked eyes with her boyfriend. "I could never tire o' yer presence." She replied lovingly before she pressed her lips to his.

"Alright lovebirds," Kuroko interjected with a clap of her hands to get their attention. "enough with the lovey-dovey stuff for now. We have paperwork for you two to sort out."

The pair reluctantly separated, but she did have a point. They weren't going to get anywhere without having to go through a mountain of paperwork, so they had to suck it up and get it out of the way. They eventually took a seat on the couch and picked up a pen each as they began to read through the documents they needed to sign.

"Darling-kun, this might take a while. Could you start on dinner for us, please?" Ms Smith requested in a seemingly innocent tone.

*Sigh* "Sure thing." He replied dejectedly before turning his attention towards the blonde agent. "Yuuto, you're free to stay for dinner if you want."

Yuuto looked up from the pile of paperwork and gave his friend an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Kimihito. You have no idea how hungry I am right now."

The host nodded in response with a smile before he made his way into the kitchen to start preparing his crab tempura recipe.

Lala let out a frustrated sigh and she read through the documents. "It staggers belief that mortals would willingly put themselves through such torment…"

The hybrid chuckled at her reaction. "Think of it this way, it's all a means to an end." He told his girlfriend in a positive tone.

The young reaper couldn't help but smile at his comment. "Aye, and it is truly an end which I desire greatly." She replied as her cheeks went red.

As the pair went about their gruelling task, Kuroko couldn't help but let a warm smile cross her lips as she watched the couple interact with each other. At first sight, they might not seem the ideal match, but their personalities actually meshed pretty well together. Yuuto's charm and confidence did a world of wonders in bringing out a more outgoing side in the young reaper, while Lala's caring nature and her flair for dramatics always seemed to put a smile on the blonde's face. Right now, the pair were the best thing going now for human/liminal relations, though the coordinator was more than happy enough to see the two of them happy being with each other. For better or for worse, the couple were bound to see things through together.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally back with another chapter!**

 **Sorry about the delay, but for those of you who don't know I started another story on here under the title of Handling my Homestay's Libido (Shameless plug, I know.) So, if you haven't checked it out yet, feel free to. It follows the more familiar Host/Homestay scenario we've all come to love and I wanted to try my hand at it. Anyway, I'll be alternating chapters between the two stories, so expect updates to be sparatic at best.**

 **As for what happened in this chapter, it's more character development with hints of exposition and foreshadowing as well. I want to thank ChillingComrade for helping me with Nikolay's character design to help him feel like an authentic Russian character. Feel free to check out his story, Russian Life With Slavic Liminals, it's a highly recommended read. And yes, I added an 'alloy which is stronger than steel' into the story, but there is a reason for it which will make itself apparent later down the line, hopefully.**

 **That's all for now, feel free to follow/favourite if you liked the story, and you're more than welcome to drop a review or any suggestions you may have.**

 **As always, thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!**


	45. A Frigid Vacation

It had been a week since MON's trip to the gym and in that time, Lala had completed her induction into MON. Though not fully trained, she was officially a member of MON's Squad Alpha. She was happy to be working with her Love, though she was somewhat disappointed that she wasn't assigned to Squad Bravo, though Ms Smith had insisted that the squads had to be balanced to teams of five. Despite that slight disagreement though, Lala's induction had been well received by the rest of the team, especially by a certain blonde hybrid. It wouldn't be long till Yuuto and Lala could move in together, though they had to wait for the dullahan's exchange transfer papers to be processed first, at the very least they could now date openly with his new 'Hybrid' status. Things were looking up for the couple.

With all the hard work that the MON team had been through lately, and with the young reaper joining them, Ms Smith thought it'd be a good time for them to have a short vacation and she had plans for the team to stay at the Sno Ball Resort, which was an onsen situated in a small resort town not far from the outskirts of Tokyo. The government agent was fortunate that she was able to coerce Kimihito and his homestays to scout out the hot spring resort some time ago, and they had plenty of good things to say about the place.

* * *

The group were well on their way to their destination, with Ms Smith driving down with the majority of Squad Alpha. A few miles down the road behind them just outside of the resort town, Squad Bravo was on their way to the onsen with Raia at the wheel, Yuuto in the front passenger seat and finally Blare, Lala and Kasumi in the back seats, though strangely enough, Kestria was nowhere to be seen.

"So, how much farther till we get there?" The hybrid asked out of curiosity.

"I'd say about two or three miles at most. I'm sure the others should be there by now." The mummy answered as she kept her focus on the road.

"Hm, guess it won't be much longer then."

"Hey, Stud," Blare interjected. "what's the big deal with onsens anyway? Aren't they just really big baths?"

"They're more than just that. They're formed from natural hot springs, and they're not that common outside of Asia. There's something unique about bathing in the warmth of natural mineral water outside, especially on a summer's night. It's one of the most relaxing things you'll ever get to experience." He replied, making it sound almost magical.

The hellhound smiled at the thought. "Wow, sounds kind of romantic when you put it like that."

"Aye, the thought o' resting me weary bones in such a place with me Love truly epitomises me ideal paradise." Lala added with a dreamy look on her face, already imagining herself and Yuuto cuddled up together in the warm waters.

"I can attest to that." The empusa of the group interjected. "I used to spend many an evening in one of the hot springs that resided on the border of my home and Mt Fuji, though this will be my first time going to a human run hot spring resort."

As the girls chatted amongst themselves, Yuuto opened his side window and stuck his head out to look up at the sky. About fifty feet above the SUV, Kestria was soaring in the warm summer air without a care in the world.

"Hey, Kes! You doing okay up there?!" He shouted to get the harpy's attention.

Kestria looked down at him with a wide smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm good! You couldn't ask for a better day to fly!" She yelled back at him as she performed some acrobatics mid-air.

The blonde smiled back at her before he pulled his head back in. "Well, someone's definitely in high spirits." He muttered to himself.

"Yeah, flying tend to put her in a good mood, it's kind of a coping mechanism for her." Raia interjected with a smile curling onto her own lips.

"Oh, so kind of when you go out riding on your Baby whenever you get moody then?" Yuuto teased with a smirk forming on his own lips.

The mummy's lips pulled into a sinister smile as she let several straps of wrapping extend from her. "Oh, sorry Medjay. Did you say something?" The asked in a sinister tone.

The hybrid panicked as he reflexively triggered his devil mode, sensing the immediate danger next to him. "Oh, nothing! Nothing at all!" He exclaimed as he held his hands up in front of him, waving them apologetically.

Raia now had a smug look on her face as she retracted the straps of wrapping. "Oh, my bad. Must've been hearing things again."

The blonde let out a sigh of relief as he reverted back to his base form, glad that he barely avoided being on the receiving end of her wrappings.

Blare could be heard snickering to herself from behind him, much to his annoyance. "Geez, Stud. You're so whipped." She teased with a grin on her face.

"Yeah, you try saying that in my position, Trouble…"

"Me Love, it bewilders me why ye wish tae tempt danger so casually. Surely ye realise the consequences o' yer actions." Lala interjected with a look of worry on her face.

"Hey, don't blame a guy for trying to have a bit of fun, will you?" He tried to defend himself, though his girlfriend didn't seem satisfied with his response.

Just then the group noticed that as they got further into the town, the summery scene around them slowly changed to that of a winter wonderland. Their eyes widened in shock as they now found themselves in a mild blizzard.

"What the fuck is going on outside?!" The hellhound exclaimed as she looked out the window. "It's supposed to be summer still, right?!"

"Well, this is certainly unexpected." Kasumi commented as she did the same.

"It appears that we have descended intae the circle o' Treachery." The young reaper added in chuunibyou fashion.

"Hold up, I think Ms Smith mentioned that there's a yuki-onna working at the onsen we're going to." Yuuto explained to the group. "They possess powerful ice magic, powerful enough to affect the environment around them just by being there."

"Well, that must mean that we're getting close then." Raia added as she began to drive more carefully in the now icy conditions.

"And here I left my jacket at home…" The shinobi complained to herself.

Just then they felt something land gently on top of the SUV, which was immediately followed by the rapid tapping of claws on the roof of the vehicle. "HEY! LET ME IN ALREADY!" The raptor harpy squawked loudly. "I'M FREEZING MY ASS OFF OUT HERE!"

"Alright, just don't damage the paintwork!" The mummy shouted back as she opened the sunroof for her.

With the roof now open Kestria wasted no time and jumped in as quick as she could and landed on Yuuto's lap, eliciting a grunt of pain from the hybrid. "Oh, sorry, Hotshot. You okay there?" She asked with worry as she looked back at him, her body shivering from the sudden cold.

"Yeah, I'm good. Though I'm more worried about you right now." He replied in a concerned tone.

"I'll be fine, just need a minute to warm up," She said as she leaned back against him and wrapped her wings around herself. "though this should help a little."

"Okay, but don't get too comfy. We'll be there soon." He said as his cheeks went bright red with the raptor harpy snuggling up to him.

In the back-seat, Lala was pouting to herself as Kestria snuggled up to her boyfriend. "Kestria, ye would do well tae nay get too familiar with me Love." She said in an annoyed tone.

The avian woman couldn't help but look back and smirk at the dullahan from her warm and comfy seat. "Oh, is someone jealous?" She asked in a teasing tone.

Suddenly the car came to a halt and Kestria was flung forwards, crashing onto the dashboard in a daze. It had also resulted in Lala's head toppling from her shoulders and onto her lap.

"We're here," Raia announced to the group before looking towards the harpy. "and try to behave yourself, will you?"

"…Duly noted…" Kestria replied as she tried to recover from her dazed state.

Apart from the mummy, everyone got out of the car and found themselves standing in front of what looked like an Edo-period inn, and the whole building and surrounding area was covered in snow. In fact, it wasn't just the inn but the entire area for about a mile was covered in several inches of fresh snow, which was peculiar for late-August.

"This has to be a dream, right?" Blare questioned as she began to shiver uncontrollably.

"I wish I could say it was." Kasumi replied as she wrapped her arms and sickles around herself in a desperate attempt to keep herself warm.

Yuuto got everyone's luggage from the back of the SUV, trying his best to keep himself from shivering. "Geez, didn't think it'd be this bad." He complained to himself before shutting the boot of the vehicle.

"I'll park up the car, so get yourselves inside and warm up." Raia said to the group before she drove off to find somewhere to park.

Blare, Kasumi and Kestria wasted to time as they rushed for the building's entrance with their luggage in hand or wing in the harpy's case. "You don't have to tell us twice!" The hellhound yelled as she sprinted for the building ahead of the others.

Yuuto and Lala were left standing there with their own luggage as they shivered in the cool air. "M-M-Me Love, I b-b-b-believe we should also make haste f-f-fer this sanctuary." The young reaper struggled to say as she held her head in her arms for warmth.

"Yeah, probably a good idea." As they were about to head for the warmth of the inn, the hybrid saw two rather large snowmen to his right, though what confused him was the fact that they looked like they were shivering. "What the hell?" He muttered to himself as he went to investigate.

"W-W-What is the matter, Y-Yuuto?" The dullahan questioned as she followed him.

"I'm pretty sure snowmen aren't supposed to AAAAHHHH!" He yelled in shock at what he discovered.

The two snowmen in question weren't actually snowmen but in fact the shivering forms of both Zombina and Tionishia with the tops of their head and their backs covered in snow. For some reason, the pair were waiting out here for them, though the hybrid couldn't think of any good reason for them to do so, especially in these frigid conditions. Zombina was only wearing her black tank top, green denim short shorts and her black army boots, while Tio was only wearing her blue summer dress and a pair on tanned sandals.

"H-Hey, B-B-B-Beesh," The redhead stuttered as her body shuddered uncontrollably. "w-w-what took you guys so d-d-d-damn long?"

"S-S-Sweetie?" The ogress interjected as she did the same. "D-Do you mind helping us b-b-back inside. I d-d-don't think I can m-move…"

"The hell are you two doing out here?! You're going to freeze to death!" Yuuto shouted out in annoyance.

"B-B-But I'm already-" Zombina started before being immediately cut off by the hybrid.

"This is no time for your wisecracks, Zee!" He exclaimed as he put his luggage to one side on went to lift the undead woman into a princess carry. "We need to get you inside!" As he did so he noticed Lala glaring at him as she was overcome with jealousy. "Babe, this isn't the time for you to get jealous! I really need your help getting them back inside right now!"

"But what about our luggage?"

Before he could say anything else, Raia had come back to the front of the inn with her own luggage in hand. "Hey! You guys okay over there?!" She shouted as she quickly made her way to the group.

"Oh, Raia, great timing." He replied as he calmed himself down. "Can you help Tio back inside please?"

*Sigh* "If I must," The mummy started as she extended a number of her wrappings and wrapped them tightly around the towering busty blonde. "but you owe me one, Medjay." She added as she gave him a suggestive smirk.

Yuuto didn't like what she was implying, but he really needed the help right now. "Thanks, Raia." He replied before returning his attention back to his girlfriend. "Lala, do you mind bringing my luggage in with you please?"

"Of course, me Love." She answered as she went to get his suitcase.

"And sorry for shouting at you earlier. I guess I should be a little more considerate about your feelings…" He said to her as his cheeks went red.

"Nay, it is alright. Ye were only concerning yerself with the wellbeing o' yer friends. That is the kind o' mortal ye've always been." She replied as her own cheeks went bright red, trying to hide her embarrassed face behind her scarf.

"Th-Thanks for doing this, B-B-B-Beesh. Y-Y-You're a real lifesaver." Zombina said as she was still shivering in his arms, though not as much as before thanks to his body heat.

"I think you mean un-lifesaver, Zee." He joked as he smirked down at her.

"Heh, now who's the wisecrack?" She replied with a wink.

"It doesn't matter. Come on, let's get ourselves inside before we all freeze up out here."

With that, the small group started to make their way into the warm confines of the inn. As they went inside, they found themselves in the front lobby area, with a small section they stepped into being ten square feet of foot mat with a large wooden shoe rack to the side with the rest of the room being covered in wooden panels, slightly elevated from the foot mat area. Manako, Doppel and Kuroko were waiting by the front desk, while Blare, Kasumi and Kestria were lying on the floor with satisfied looks on their faces for whatever strange reason.

"Zombina! Tio!" The monoeye exclaimed in horror at seeing their nearly frozen forms. "Are they alright?!"

"They will be once we get them warmed up." The hybrid answered before he looked down at his three squadmates lazing around on the floor. "And you three, do I even want to ask why?"

"Didn't you know, Stud? They have heated floors here, and it feels amazing." Blare replied in a dreamy tone as she nuzzled her cheek against the wooden floor.

"Indeed, I believe it'll be sufficient enough to thaw out Zombina and Tionishia." Kasumi added as she was curled up on the floor, not wanting to move an inch.

Yuuto looked down at them in annoyance, then glanced back at Zombina's shivering form still shaking in his arms. He sighed to himself before he placed the zombie on the wooden floor, making sure the army boots she was wearing were still in the foot mat area. Raia used her wrappings to lift the ogress and placed her on the wooden floor as well.

"Hopefully that should do for now." He said as he wiped the back of his hand across his forehead.

Almost immediately the two women's faces lit up with joy as the heat from the floor permeated through their bodies. "Damn, the heated floors are awesome!" Zombina exclaimed excitedly.

"Ah, that feels so much better~" Tio added with a content sigh.

Suddenly the redhead came up with a devious plan and looked up at the hybrid seductively. "Hey, Beesh. You mind helping a girl out and take my boots off for me? Still finding it hard to move right now." She said to him in a sultry tone.

He responded to her request by throwing a pair of slippers at her. "Do it yourself once you've warmed up enough, plus, I don't ever remember being your slave." He replied in an annoyed tone.

The zombie let out a gut-wrenching laugh at his reaction. "I was only teasing you know!" She exclaimed with a toothy grin.

Kuroko was leaning against the front desk with a look of annoyance on her face due to how the two squad captains were behaving. All she wanted to do was relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. Hell, she even made the effort to dress up casually for once in her life, wearing a black mini dress underneath a blue button-up shirt which she left undone apart from where she tied the two bottom corners in a knot, as well as black knee-high socks, a pair of black ankle boots, and even a pair of black framed glasses that gave her that air of maturity. Despite that though, she knew peace and quiet was still going to be hard to come by with the members of MON around.

*Sigh* "Honestly, I can't take you two anywhere together without you causing a fuss." Ms Smith interjected in a frustrated tone. "It's like looking after a pair of teenagers sometimes."

"Well, at least there's never a dull moment with us around!" Zombina exclaimed jovially despite her superior's bad mood.

"C'mon Smith, let them enjoy themselves a little," Doppel spoke up from next to her. "we spend all our time either cooped up in an office or fighting for our lives. I think we've earned the right to let our hair down."

The government agent let out another frustrated sigh. "I suppose you're right, as long as they don't cause any property damage that is."

At that moment a short young man wearing a grey yukata with a black overcoat, as well as a dark grey scarf and woolly hat and a pair of black framed glasses appeared on the other side of the front desk with a polite smile on his face. "Sorry for the wait, Ma'am," He said as he gave her a respectful bow. "we still have the two large rooms available at the far end of the inn. They can accommodate up to six people each if needed."

Kuroko's mood instantly perked up at the good news. "Ah, excellent, just what I wanted to hear. We'll take them."

"Of course, Ma'am." The young human replied.

Just then a young woman with pale blue skin appeared from the same side of the front desk as the young man. She had long white hair which was tied back into a long ponytail with what looked like a large snowflake made of ice, and her pupil-less eyes shimmered a deep blue as she glanced towards the young man next to her. She was wearing a sky-blue yukata which had a snowflake design on it, as well as a large black obi wrapped around her waist. The woman towered over him as she stood to his side.

"Dear, would you like me to show our other guests to their rooms while you deal with the payment?" She asked as she looked down at him with slightly reddened cheeks.

"Oh, Yukio." The young man replied as he glanced up at her, mildly surprised by her sudden appearance. "Yes, that would be a great help, thank you." He answered as he gave her a warm smile.

Yukio smiled back at him as her cheeks went a brighter shade of red. "Of course, I will do that now." She replied with a bow before she made her way to the other side of the front desk to greet the MON agents. "Welcome to our resort." She started as she knelt down on the floor and gave them a polite smile before bowing to them. "I am Yukio, the proprietress of this resort." She added as she rose her head to them and stood to her feet once more.

Kestria sat up from where she was lying on the floor and stood up as she quirked an eyebrow at the yuki-onna. "So, I take it you're the one responsible for all this snow?"

Blare and Kasumi shot up to their paws and feet respectively, the pair of them now staring at the snow woman with looks of awe on their faces. "Wow, that's really amazing that you can do that!" The hellhound exclaimed in amazement as the empusa next to her silently nodded in agreement.

The yuki-onna's cheeks went red with embarrassment before she gave the group a deep bow. "Oh, I do apologize for any inconvenience the weather might have caused you. Unfortunately, as a yuki-onna the cold follows me wherever I go, so please bear with the weather as best you can during your stay here…" She said to them as she straightened herself out.

Lala placed a hand over her face with her fingers spread as she locked eyes with her. "I see, tae possess the power over frost is both a blessing and a curse. It truly is a tragic fate. Ye have me condolences, Ice Witch." She said in her typical chuunibyou fashion.

"Hey, don't go randomly calling people you've just met witches." Yuuto told the dullahan in an annoyed tone.

Yukio smiled at the interaction between the pair before she recomposed herself. "Well, if you would all like to follow me, I will guide you to your rooms." She said to the group as she started to head for their destination.

Everyone else gathered and started to follow the proprietress, though Ms Smith stayed behind to sort out the expenses. The government agent was happy to foot the bill as company expenses though, seeing as it was technically a company vacation.

Shortly after, the group found themselves outside one of the rooms as the yuki-onna opened the traditional Japanese sliding door to reveal an extremely large room which was covered with tatami mats on the floor. It also had a sizable Chabudai table, large enough to seat six people, as well as a long conservatory area that ran alongside the room and a small bathtub build into the floor at the far end of the room.

"This is the first of our large group rooms." Yukio explained. "The other room is identical, so please feel free to organize yourselves as you wish."

"Holy crap, it's massive!" Blare exclaimed in amazement before rushing inside. "I call dibs on this one!"

"Didn't you just hear? She said they're exactly the same." The hybrid told her.

"Looks like this will be Bravo's room then." Kestria spoke up as she made her way into the room.

"Now this is what a call a room." Raia said as she followed the raptor harpy inside.

"Well, it certainly looks adequate for our needs." Kasumi added as she made her way into the room.

While the members of Squad Bravo organized themselves, Lala grasped at her boyfriend's free hand and held it tightly. "Me Love, if it is nay bother tae ye, I would beseech ye tae allow me tae share the same plane o' existence as ye." She said as her cheeks blushed bright red.

"The hell did Headless just say?" Zombina asked with a bemused look on her face.

"She said she wants to be in the same room as me." The hybrid of the group answered nonchalantly.

"And how would you happen to know that, Romeo?" Doppel questioned in a teasing tone.

"…It's a long story…" He trailed off as he thought back to his middle school days, remembering the times he put up with Kimihito's Chuunibyou phase. He then turned his attention back to his girlfriend. "Anyway, I don't mind if you want to bunk up with us, Babe." He told her, giving her a warm smile.

The young reaper beamed up at him before planting a kiss on his cheek. "It feels me being with joy tae hear ye say that." She replied as she looked at him with loving eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt," The proprietress said to grab their attention. "but just to make sure you are aware, there are plenty of yukatas and futons in the cupboards to the left of the room. You will also find plenty of towels in there as well should you wish to use the hot spring or any of the baths during your stay here."

"Good to know," Yuuto replied. "can't wait to dip in and have some alone time. Speaking of, which side are the men's baths here?"

"Oh, did no one tell you?" The yuki-onna said with a quizzical look on her face. "This onsen is mixed bathing only."

Manako's face went bright red with a look of shock on her face. "M-M-M-Mixed bathing?! M-M-Ms Smith never mentioned that!" She exclaimed in an embarrassed tone.

"It's okay, Mana-chan," Tio interjected as she placed a hand on the monoeye's back. "It's not that big a deal."

The hybrid's eyes widened in surprise. "…Come again?"

"You see, in order to fit all the different bathing facilities, we had to combine the old women's and men's bathing areas in order to make room for everything. I hope this isn't an inconvenience for anyone." Yukio explained plainly.

"Nah, I'm sure we'll be fine!" Zombina exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Sp-Speak for yourself!" The monoeye interjected. "I-I-I'm sure Yuuto doesn't want to be stuck bathing with us when he's trying to relax!"

"Or maybe you're too embarrassed to see his hot bod." Doppel teased with a cheeky grin on her face.

"D-D-Doppel!" Manako shouted as her whole face was crimson now.

"...Well, I'm sure it won't be a big deal, I hope…" Yuuto said as his own cheeks went red.

"Very well," The yuki-onna replied. "Should you or your group require anything, please feel free to let us know right away." She then turned her attention to the members of Squad Alpha. "If you would like to follow me, I will show you to your room."

"Sure! Thanks a bunch, Frosty!" The redhead replied with a massive grin on her face. As they were leaving, she turned back to wave at Yuuto and Lala. "See you two in the hot spring later! Don't keep us waiting!"

"Yeah, see you there, Zee." He replied with a wave of his own hand. As he turned back to this girlfriend, he noticed that her entire face had gone bright red. "You okay there, Lala?"

The dullahan was struggling to keep herself composed as the image of her boyfriend in a near clothe-less state danced around in her mind. "I-I am fine, me Love. Th-Th-There is nothing tae worry yerself over." She replied in an embarrassed tone as she tried to avoid eye contact with him.

The blonde smirked to himself as he patted the top of her head gently. "Alright then. Let's get ourselves inside and sort ourselves out." He said as the pair walked into the room together.

As he shut the sliding door behind him, he saw Blare and Kestria sprawled out on the tatami mats, while Kasumi and Raia were busy unpacking their luggage. The hellhound looked back up at him while she was lying on her back and gave him a massive grin as her flame lashes burst into life. "Hey, Stud. You've got to lie down here for a sec. these tatami mats are so comfortable."

"As nice as that sounds, some of us still need to unpack, Trouble." The hybrid replied as he held his suitcase up for emphasis.

"But there's plenty of time for that!" She answered enthusiastically. "We're here to relax!"

"If anyone needs to calm down and relax, it's you." Raia interjected in an annoyed tone.

"Hey, Hotshot," Kestria spoke up and looked at him while she was lying on her stomach on the floor, kicking her talons up behind her. "I hear that you'll be joining us in the hot spring later." She added as she gave him a suggestive look and a teasing smirk.

"Wait, you are?!" Blare shouted excitedly. "This trip just got more awesome!"

"That is certainly a bold decision coming from you, Senpai." The shinobi of the group added with slightly reddened cheeks. "But if that is what you desire, then I will not oppose it."

"Well, I'm looking forward to your company, Medjay." The mummy added with a smirk on her lips.

"…Well, I'm kind of out of options seeing it's mixed bathing only here…" He replied as his own cheeks went red.

Blare shot up to her paws and pumped her fists in excitement. "Finally, we get to see how toned Stud really is!"

Yuuto instinctively triggered his devil mode as he gave the hellhound a disapproving look. "Don't go getting any ideas." He warned her in a stern tone.

"I bet Grim is looking forward to it the most, aren't you?" The raptor harpy asked as she directed her attention towards the dullahan.

Lala tried to hide her reddened cheeks behind her scarf as she tried to avoid eye contact with everyone in the room. "W-Well, I-I-I canna say that I do nay desire such an outcome." She replied in an embarrassed tone.

"See, Hotshot? Don't go disappointing your girlfriend now." She added in a suggestive tone. "And besides, I bet you're excited to see us all naked too."

"What kind of pervert do you take me for, Kes?" He asked her in an annoyed tone as sparks of chaotic energy intensified around him.

Kestria couldn't help but giggle to herself. "Oh, don't get all embarrassed. It's only natural after all." She teased.

The hybrid let out a defeated sigh as he resigned himself to being the MON girls' eye candy in the foreseeable future. _"It just had to be mixed bathing, didn't it?"_ He complained inwardly to himself.

* * *

Not long after, once it had gotten darker outside, all the girls had congregated at the outdoor hot spring of the resort. The pool itself was surrounded by an outcropping of smooth stones which itself was surrounded by snow-covered foliage. Part of the pool was also covered by a large wooden shelter in case the snow started to fall again. The women all relaxed as the steaming water helped soothe their aching bones.

"Ah, this is heaven~" Blare said with a sigh of satisfaction. "This water is doing wonders for my skin and fur~"

"Indeed, you can feel the tension in your muscles and carapace just seep away." Kasumi added as she got herself comfortable.

"Yeah, not all of us have carapace, you know."

"This is the best!" Zombina shouted as she floated on the surface of the water. "I can't believe you didn't take us to one of these sooner, Kuroko!" She added as she directed her attention towards her superior.

"Well, it's just been a busy few months since we started the MON initiative, but it's all been worth it by all accounts." The raven-haired human responded as she basked in the warm waters.

"Yeah, it's been a fun and exciting few months, hasn't it?" Tio added as she relaxed at the centre of the spring.

"True, but we've certainly had our ups and down in that time, and Yuuto seems to have seen the worst of it." Manako replied with a look of concern on her face.

"Maybe, but Romeo's come out better for it," Doppel said as she draped her hair outside of the spring. "I mean think about it, he has a girlfriend now, and he has devil powers on top of that."

"Yeah, who would've seen that coming?" Kestria added as she rested her breasts and wings on the edge of the pool. "At first I thought he was just another guy to tease and have fun with, but now he's probably the biggest badass out of all of us."

"There's no denying that," Raia agreed as she rested her back against the edge of the waters with her wrappings rolled up into a large ball outside of the pool, only connected to her by a strap wrapped around her forehead which also conveniently held her hair up. "but still, he's still human at the end of the day, despite his unique quirks. Though I wouldn't have Medjay any other way." She continued as a warm smile formed on her lips.

Lala was sat not too far from her hellhound and empusa co-workers with a towel wrapped around her neck in place of her scarf and her hair tied in a bun. "Yuuto is truly an incredible mortal when ye think upon it." She started as her cheeks went red thinking about what they had been through together up till now. "Sometimes I find it hard tae believe that the Fates allowed me tae form a pact with such a person." She added as a loving smile crossed her lips.

"Speaking of Stud, where is he?" The hellhound asked as she looked around for her squad captain.

"I bet he's too embarrassed to see all of us in the nude." The doppelganger teased with a grin on her face.

The zombie of the group suddenly shot up to her feet and started shouting towards the changing area. "Hey, Beesh! Get your ass out here, the water's great!"

"I think I'll wait till you girls are done!" The hybrid shouted back from inside the changing rooms. "I'm sure you don't want a guy intruding on your privacy anyway!"

A sinister grin crossed the redhead's face before she directed her attention towards the canine liminal. "Blare, you know what to do."

Blare nodded enthusiastically before she shot up to her paws and made ready to get out of the spring. "Stud! If you don't come out now, I'll drag you out here myself!" She shouted with a massive grin on her face.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Yuuto eventually relented and complied. "Alright, I'm coming out! Just let a guy get mentally prepared!"

After a moment he eventually came out of the changing room, wearing only a towel around his waist to cover his modesty. His face was bright red, embarrassed by the situation that he now found himself in. All the women in the hot spring had their eyes glued to him, admiring his toned but not overly muscular form.

Blare let out a wolf whistle upon seeing her squad captain almost fully undressed. "Damn, that's one hell of a six-pack you got there." She commented as she stared at his abs.

"Hey, my eyes are up here." He replied in an irritated tone, trying to resist the urge to trigger is devil mode.

"You can't exactly blame her for staring, Bishie-kun." Ms Smith interjected as she also looked him over. "It's no wonder you have women fawning over you." She added as she gave him a suggestive wink.

"And why are you even wearing a towel, Beesh?!" The zombie shouted. "It's a hot spring, so strip!"

The hybrid just stared back at her disapprovingly. "I think you'll find it's perfectly acceptable to wear a towel in a mixed bathing area."

"Oh c'mon, you get to see all of us naked. It's only fair that you show off your stuff too." She replied as she crossed her arms under her breasts and gave him a cheeky wink.

"That's your problem, not mine." He replied in an annoyed tone.

"To be honest, Hotshot, I'm surprised you're not freaking out over seeing us all in the nude in the first place." Kestria said with a bemused look on her face.

"I think he's gotten used to it from hanging out with Pel-chan so much." Tio commented with an innocent smile on her face.

"You can thank me later, Romeo." Doppel added as she gave him a cheeky wink.

"I think he's not freaking out because no one is wearing any lingerie for him." Raia said in a suggestive tone.

"…Just stop already…" Yuuto groaned out loud.

He then glanced over to Lala to find that she hadn't said a word since he came out of the changing room. He saw that she was frozen in place, unable to break eye contact with him as her whole face went bright red.

"Hey, Babe. You okay over there?" He asked in a worried tone.

The young reaper shook herself from her stupor at his prodding. "I-I-I am well, m-me Love." She said before quickly breaking eye contact with him out of embarrassment. "I-I apologize if me staring is afflicting ye."

The hybrid couldn't help but smirk at her. "It's okay, I don't mind if it's you. Besides, I guess I'm making too big a deal over this anyway." He replied as he rubbed the back of his head nervously, though he didn't notice that one of Raia's wrappings had wrapped itself around the corner of his towel.

Lala looked back and smiled at him shyly. "Then mayhap ye will join me in this tranquil space." She said as her cheeks went a brighter shade of red.

"I'd be happy to."

Just as he was walking towards her, he felt a slight tug on his towel and before he knew it, it had dropped to the ground. He froze in place as he felt his manhood being exposed to the cold air, and to the glares of all his work colleagues. All their faces had gone bright red, but their reactions had differed. Manako had gone pale at the sight, her singular eye widened in shock as she was unable to utter a single word. Tio and Kasumi looked on with curious yet surprised looks on their faces. Kuroko, Doppel, Kestria and Raia all had smug looks on their faces, impressed by what they saw. Zombina and blare looked visibly excited by the sight of his shaft. Lala was frozen in place once more with widened eyes and reddened cheeks, not expecting the sudden reveal of his manhood. Yuuto had gone bright red himself, being embarrassed beyond all belief.

"Holy crap, Stud! You're packing!" The hellhound shouted in amazement.

"It certainly is impressive, Senpai." The empusa added as she was unable to break her gaze.

"Well, you certainly are gifted in more ways than one, Bishie-kun." The government agent commented as she couldn't help but stare at the specimen in front of her.

"And to think, Grim. You get that all to yourself." Kestria teased as she glanced towards the dullahan with a mischievous look on her face.

Lala was left speechless, unable to look away from her boyfriend's member in all its glory. If she wasn't excited enough about moving in with him before, she certainly was now.

"See, it wasn't so hard, was it?" The redhead asked as she grinned proudly at him.

"I believe you've gotten full marks from all of us, Medjay." The mummy said as she looked at him with a smug look on her face, proud that her attempt to expose him was successful.

In that instant, the hybrid triggered his devil mode, annoyed beyond all belief at his undead squad mate's ploy. The sudden transformation shocked a fair number of the girls, especially Raia who would soon be the target of his retribution.

"Wow, that energy of yours really does spark from everywhere." The doppelganger commented in a suggestive tone.

"Not now, Doppel." Yuuto spoke up in an irritated tone as he sent an angry glare her way.

Doppel flinched as he looked her way and kept quiet, now realising the gravity of the situation.

Satisfied, he then focused his menacing glare towards the mummy of the group. "Did you enjoy your little stunt, Raia?"

The woman in question started to panic as he held up her hands in front of her protectively. "Hey, I was only joking around. No need to do anything rash." She replied in the most innocent tone she could muster as she smiled back at him, trying to hide her worry.

Yuuto gave her a sinister grin in return. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not that cruel. But just so you know, I will remember this." He told her in a sinister tone.

Raia was someone that was normally calm, collected and in control, but with how her squad captain was acting right now she couldn't help but feel intimidated by what he said. It was almost as bad as the aura Ms Smith would emit when she was in a foul mood. Humans could be terrifying when they wanted to be, and it seemed that hybrids were no exception.

After a moment the blonde hybrid took a deep breath and reverted back to his base form before breathing out slowly, now acting more rationally than he did before. "Sorry about that, I just needed to vent." He said apologetically to her.

Everyone in the hot spring was surprised by his sudden shift in attitude, not expecting him to calm down so quickly after what happened, though they were grateful that his transformation didn't do any real damage. Surprisingly though, Manako was the first to speak up. "Yuuto, are you alright? You looked like you were out of it for a moment." The monoeye said in a worried tone.

"Yeah, it's not like you to act out like that." Kestria added with equal concern.

Yuuto broke eye contact with the group as his cheeks went red, now embarrassed by his sudden outburst. "I'll be fine, but I will admit that I'm struggling to keep my emotions under control since I awakened. I can't help but act hostile it that form, I guess it's like a defence mechanism or something like that, but I know it's no excuse for me to behave the way I did…" It was clear by the tone of his voice that he was upset by what he had done in that brief moment of anger.

"Kazama, I understand that you're going through a great deal right now," Kuroko spoke up in a serious tone. "I will admit this is my first time dealing with a hybrid and I can't say that I truly understand what exactly you must be feeling, but know that you're free to talk to me if you feel like you need any assistance. Your wellbeing, as well as that of everyone in MON, is important to me, so don't be afraid to speak up if something is bothering you, okay?"

"Yeah, we're all here for each other. We're a team after all." Tio added in a more positive tone.

Zombina was the next person to speak up. "Beesh, remember what I told you when you first joined MON? You can always count on us, no matter what." She said with a warm smile on her face as she gave him a thumbs-up.

The rest of the girls nodded in agreement, which helped put the hybrid at ease.

"…Thank you, all of you. I don't know what I'd do without you girls sometimes…" He said as he started to get emotional. "I just wish I could get a better handle on all the devil BS already."

As he said that, Blare stepped out of the spring and moved up behind him before she placed her padded hands on his shoulders. "We can worry about that another time." She started in a comforting tone. "We came here to relax, so let's get to relaxing already." She added as she gave his shoulders a comforting squeeze, careful not to let her claws dig into his skin.

The hybrid let out a sigh of relief, thankful that the tension had been lifted for the time being. "I think that's the best idea I've heard all day." He replied as he allowed her to guide him towards the hot spring.

He soon stepped into the steaming water and sat next to his girlfriend as he rested his arms on the side of the pool. He looked towards Lala to see that her cheeks were still beet red as she kept her gaze on him.

"Lala, are you alright?" He asked in a worried tone.

The young reaper shook herself from her stupor once more and gave him a loving smile as she wrapped her arms around his chest and pressed her bare chest against him. "I am well, me Love, but I wish ye tae know that even in the end times, I will always be by yer side, come what may." She answered before she planted a kiss on his cheek.

Yuuto couldn't help but give her a loving smile back as he wrapped his arm around the back of her neck and gently placed his hand on top of her head. "Right back at you." He replied as he rested his forehead against hers before the couple started nuzzling their noses against each other with happy smiles on their faces.

As they were doing that, Blare dipped herself back into the hot spring and took a seat to the other side of her squad captain. "Hey, don't go forgetting about the rest of us." She interjected in a teasing tone.

The pair stopped their affections for a moment as the blonde hybrid looked back at the hellhound with a smirk on his face. "Like I could forget, Trouble." He answered as he placed his other hand on top of her head and started rubbing her cropped ears gently, causing her cheeks to go bright red as she smiled to herself at the affection she was receiving.

"Now that's more like it." Zombina commented with a massive grin as she stretched her arms. "It's about time we had a real vacation!" She exclaimed as she fell backwards into the hot spring, causing a big splash that hit both Kestria and Raia.

"Hey, watch the wings!" The raptor harpy yelled as she desperately tried to keep her feathers dry.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" The mummy shouted in irritation. "I swear if you get any of my wrappings soaked there'll be hell to pay for!"

The zombie shot out of the water with a massive grin still plastered on her face as she let out a gut-wrenching laugh. "Quit being such a downer, Wraps! Try to have some fun!"

Kestria looked back at the redhead, ready to give her a piece of her mind, but her train of thought got derailed as she noticed something off about her. "Um, Zombina? Where's your other boob?" She asked with a look of confusion on her face.

The zombie looked down at her chest to find that the stitches of one of her breasts had come undone and was now missing, leaving a gaping hole where it once was. "Whoops!" She said out loud as innocently as possible as she did her best to cover the massive wound with her hands. "I wonder where that could've gone?"

Yuuto, Lala and Blare were suddenly surprised as the missing breast floated to the surface right in front of them, which caused the hellhound to let out a panicked yelp. "What the fuck is that?!" She yelled in horror as her flame lashes ignited from the corners of her eyes.

The hybrid let out an exasperated sigh. "For the love of God, Zee. Can we not go anywhere without something falling off of you?" He asked the redhead in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry about that, Beesh." She replied with her signature grin as she walked up to and retrieved her detached breast. "Though, I would appreciate it if you helped me sew it back on." She added in a more seductive tone.

"Yeah, that's not happening." He responded as he furrowed his eyebrows at her.

"Oh, c'mon, help a girl out!" She pleaded as she thrust the mound of flesh in front of him, but he grabbed her wrists and tried to push it away from himself.

"Get someone else to do it then!"

"Cease yer transgression, Captain!" The young reaper interjected. "Me Love does nay wish tae involve himself in the necromantic arts!" She added as she tried to help her boyfriend push the breast away from them.

In the struggle, it was pushed towards the hellhound, much to her displeasure. "Hey, quit it! I don't want your mutilated tit!" She yelled in an annoyed tone.

Back at the other end of the hot spring, Ms Smith sigh to herself in frustration at the four MON agents' antics. "So much for my peaceful and quiet vacation." She muttered to herself.

Though the agents of MON had been through some hard times recently, at the end of the day they knew they could count on each other when it mattered. At the very least there was never a dull moment with this group of talented misfits.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi everyone, hope you enjoyed the latest chapter.**

 **Had quite a bit of fun writing this chapter, especially with all the possible fan-service in it. Though to my surprise, I managed to fit in a bit of emotional development with Yuuto near the end which I hadn't originally planned on, but I think it'll add more to the chapter, as well as his character in general. As for the vacation itself, I'll be basing it on the events of Volume 8 of Monster Musume, only with MON and my characters instead of Kimihito's group, so you can expect the trip to the farm and the shrine in the next few chapters.**

 **As always, follow and favourite if you haven't already, and feel free to drop a review or any suggestions you may have.**

 **Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you next time!**


	46. Farmyard Hoedown

It was a bright summer morning in the countryside just outside the small resort town where the MON team were staying. Despite being on vacation, Yuuto found himself being dragged out for a morning run with Blare. The hellhound had insisted that they should keep up their morning routine, plus, she wanted an excuse to explore the nearby area. Kestria and Zombina had overheard the pair discussing this over breakfast and had both decided to join them. The raptor harpy also wanted to explore the area as well, and the zombie just wanted an excuse to spend more time with Yuuto outside of work, seeing she had less chance to do so since the hybrid started dating Lala.

The group had been out for nearly half an hour now and they were keeping up a good pace for the most part. Yuuto and Blare were fairly used to this and were still in good shape, and Kestria was having an easy time of it gliding overhead. Zombina, however, was struggling to stay on her feet as she had a hard time keeping up with the others in her near exhausted state. It was a wonder that nothing of hers had fallen off at this point.

The redhead was panting heavily as she tried desperately not to fall behind. "…Hold up…a second… will ya?" She asked in between gasps of breath. "…I gotta… take a quick break…"

Blare glanced back at the undead woman with a questioning look. "Seriously? We're only about a third of the way done at most." She replied nonchalantly.

"I'm kind of surprised, Zee." The blonde hybrid added with a teasing grin. "I thought you'd be up to it with all the laps Serge makes us do during training."

"WELL, I DON'T RUN NEARLY AS MUCH AS YA TWO LUNATICS!" Zombina yelled in annoyance.

With that exclamation, she started to slow to a halt before she bent over and rested her hands on her thighs as she started to take deep breaths. Yuuto and Blare came to a stop themselves and went back to check on their undead co-worker.

"You okay there?" The hellhound asked in a worried tone.

"…Yeah… just fell like… dying here…"

"Seriously, what are we going to do with you?" The hybrid teased as he unslung the backpack he was carrying and pulled out a water bottle from it before he held it in front of her. "Here, looks like you need it." He added in a more caring tone.

Zombina looked up at the water bottle for a moment before she snatched it from his hand and stood up straight. She had almost ripped the bottle in half as she took the cap off and jammed it into her mouth before she took several large gulps from it.

"Damn, she really isn't used to this, is she?" Blare asked her squad captain as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Weirdly enough, no. Might have something to do with Rigor Mortis if I had to take a guess."

Not long after, Kestria decided to land next to them as she gave the zombie a teasing look. "Hey, Zombina. I didn't realise that running long distance was so hard on you." She said with a smirk on her face.

The redhead pulled the water bottle from her lips and gave the raptor harpy an annoyed look. "You can shut the hell up! You've got it easy gliding around up there!" She shouted as she pointed at the sky.

"Actually, it takes a lot more effort to fly at your slow ass pace than you might think," Kes replied as her smirk moulded into a shit-eating grin.

Zombina merely grumbled to herself about how easy flying liminals have it before chugging the rest of her water.

While the two of them were bickering with each other Blare noticed that the path they were taking was long and straight, taking them through some farmland. She smirked to herself as an idea popped into her head.

Her flame lashes ignited as she focused her attention towards the hybrid of the group. "Hey, Stud. You fancy a quick race to the end of the path while these two rest up?" She asked in an excited manner as her tail started wagging frantically from side to side.

Yuuto glanced back at her before he suddenly triggered his devil mode, now giving her a confident smirk as the chaotic energy started to course around his body. "Sure, I'm game. But how about we make this interesting?"

The hellhound quirked an eyebrow at him. "What did you have in mind?"

"Winner gets to make any request of the loser. Deal?"

Blare gave him a wide grin in response as her flame lashes intensified with ferocity. "You're on!" She exclaimed enthusiastically as she pointed a clawed finger at him. Without even giving him time to respond she turned to face the path ahead and poised herself to start sprinting at any second. "ONYOURMARKSGETSETGO!" She shouted as she shot off down the path ahead of the hybrid.

Yuuto just let a wide grin cross his lips as he used his chaotic energy to propel himself after her. "Don't think a head start will do you any favours, Trouble!" He exclaimed as he sprinted after her.

Zombina and Kestria were surprised by their sudden disappearance and the redhead felt annoyed by the fact that she was left behind. "HEY! WAIT UP!" She yelled at them as she started chasing after the energetic pair, leaving Kes by herself.

The raptor harpy for her part tried to suppress a chuckle as she shook her head to herself. "This can only end badly." She muttered before she flapped her wings and took off after her co-workers.

Blare was at a full sprint as she raced down the path with a wide grin on her face, satisfied that she had enough of a lead on her captain to assure her victory. She couldn't help but think about what she was going to make him do after she won. _"I can imagine it now. Having Stud act like a chuunibyou for a week is going to be hilarious!"_ She thought to herself as she tried to suppress her giggling just thinking about it. _"I'll have him be all like-"_

"Maybe you should focus less on your request and more on trying to win the race." The blonde spoke up from her side.

The hellhound was taken off guard as she glanced to her side to find Yuuto easily keeping pace with her. "What the hell?!" She shouted in surprise. "How did you-?!"

"Devil powers." He interjected nonchalantly. "Also, while I've got you here, how do you feel about wearing a frilly dress to work for a week?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"NO WAY IN HELL!" She exclaimed in irritation. "BESIDES, I DON'T EVEN OWN A FRILLY DRESS!"

"I'm sure Tio would be more than willing to help you find one once we get back to the inn." He replied as his smirk shifted into a smug grin.

"Keep dreaming, Stud! I hope you're ready to take some acting lessons from Lala because you're going to be playing the role of Dark Lord of the office for a week once I kick your ass!"

"Fat chance in hell of that happening!"

Whilst the pair were having their shouting match, Kestria was flying over them just to make sure they didn't get into any trouble. She looked down the path they were racing down and saw that there was a tight corner ahead with a steep incline ahead of it leading towards a fenced-off field.

"Hey!" She shouted to get the attention of her squad mates. "Cool your jets for a second, there's a steep drop ahead!"

The pair were caught off by the raptor harpy's sudden interruption before they glanced ahead to see what she was on about. There was indeed a steep drop and they were only about ten feet from it at this point. Panicked by the sudden turn of events, Yuuto returned to his base form and held an arm out in front of his squadmate as he started skidding to a halt. Blare grabbed hold of his outstretched arm with a panicked look on her face as she started skidding to a halt herself. Thankfully they both stopped short at the edge of the drop, both of them letting out sighs of relief at avoiding a potential accident.

"Damn, that was a close one." The blonde said out loud.

"Yeah, thanks for the save, Stud." The hellhound added, still clutching at his arm.

Yuuto calmed himself down and looked towards his squad mate. "How about we call this a draw? No forfeits for either of us."

Blare eventually let go of his arm and rubbed the back of her head as her tail started to wag from side to side. "Sounds like a deal to me."

They both started laughing at the situation, though they were interrupted as they heard a faint yelling from behind them. They glanced at where they came from to see Zombina sprinting full pelt towards them whilst screaming at the top of her lung, though she seemed to be less concerned about looking where she was going.

"GET BACK HERE! DON'T THINK YOU CAN LEAVE ME OUT OF THIS!" She shouted, annoyed that the pair had ditched her.

Before either Yuuto or Blare could react, the zombie crashed into them, causing the trio to topple to the ground and start rolling down the steep slope.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" They screamed in unison.

They somehow got tangled up together and started rolling over each other, building up some speed as they hurtled to the bottom. Unfortunately for them, there was a wooden fence at the bottom of the slope, and there was nothing else to break their fall. They collided with the fence, sending planks and splinters of wood flying into the air as they crashed through it and finally came to a stop. With the carnage over, Kestria eventually landed on one of the wooden posts of the fence right next to where her co-workers had barrelled through it, squatting herself on top of it as she looked down at the scene before her. Yuuto had landed flat on his back with the hellhound and zombie lying right on top of him, his face now trapped underneath their breasts as he struggled to breathe. Both Blare and Zombina just groaned in pain, or in discomfort in the redhead's case, neither of them unaware of the position the hybrid was currently in.

The raptor harpy looked down at her squad captain with a teasing look on her face. "Looks like you're enjoying yourself down there, Hotshot."

Yuuto would have retorted to her comment but was prevented from doing so with the two sets of mammaries currently suffocating him. The best thing he could muster was a groan of annoyance at her.

Blare groaned to herself once more as she tried to lift herself up. "Ow, that hurt like hell…" She complained as she rubbed the back of her head.

Zombina pushed herself up as she looked down at the blonde underneath her and gave him a toothy grin. "Thanks for the catch, Beesh."

Now finally able to breathe again, he took a deep breath before he looked up at the two women on top of him and gave them a look of annoyance. "Yeah, glad to see you're both okay. But if you girls don't mind, can you get off of me please?"

"Oh, sorry about that, Stud." The hellhound apologised as she and Zombina sat themselves up and to the sides of the hybrid, allowing him to sit up straight as he rubbed the back of his own head. "You alright there?" She asked out of concern as she gently placed a hand on his back.

Yuuto smirked back at her in an attempt to alleviate her worry. "Yeah, I'll be fine, thanks."

The redhead suddenly let out a gut-wrenching laugh, earning a confused look from her co-workers. "Ahahahaha! That was an absolute blast! We should do that again!"

"…Yeah, I don't think my back can take another crash like that…" He replied as he furrowed his eyebrows at her before he let out an exasperated sigh. "Anyway, I'm sure this fence we broke belongs to someone. We should probably explain what happened to the owners before we…" He trailed off suddenly as he noticed that it had gotten darker for some reason. Curious, he looked up above him along with the hellhound and zombie to find a large shadow was cast over them and found it belonged to a particularly tall and muscular person.

The person in question must've been at least as tall as Tionishia, if not taller, though to their surprise her breasts seemed to be bigger than even that of their ogress co-worker. She had two black markings on her face, one under each eye, and medium length spiky hair which was a light pink at the front and pitch black at the back with a rat tail running from the back of her head. She also had two large bovine horns that stuck out from the sides of her head and pointed upwards, two long brown furry ears, a long black and white bovine tail sticking out from behind, and her legs were covered in a light brown fur, both ending in large black cow hooves. Her lightly tanned skin was covered only by a set of tattered navy-blue dungarees that struggled to contain her assets, as well as a brown leather collar around her neck with a brass cowbell attached to it. If they weren't intimidated by the large woman by now, then the axe she held in her right hand would surely do the job. The trio on the ground just sat there in silence as the minotaur looked down at them with her dark brown eyes, staring at them in a way that suggested that she was struggling to hold her temper. Even Kestria kept her trap shut, not wanting to earn her ire.

"So, I take it you're the ones that broke our fence?" She asked the group in an irritated tone.

The MON agents were well aware that she already knew the answer to that question, seeing as they were sat atop what were the remains of the section of fence they crashed through, though the hybrid was smart enough to realise that keeping quiet wouldn't benefit them in any way, so he bravely decided to speak up. "Yeah, we had a bit of an accident during our run. Sorry about that." He replied in as friendly a tone he could muster as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Hmm, is that so?" She asked rhetorically. Before they could respond she grabbed a hold of the trio on the ground and held them under her large and muscular arm, making it hard for them to breathe. "Well then, guess we'll have to sort out a way for you to pay back for the damage y'all caused."

"Hey, loosen up a little! I can't breathe here!" Blare protested in a panicked tone.

The minotaur paid her no mind as she now focused her attention towards the raptor harpy currently still perched on the fence, causing the poor girl to flinch reflexively. "You there, you can either come quietly, or you can join your friends under my arm. Which one will it be?"

Kestria gave her an innocent look as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Um… I think I'll take the easy option if you don't mind."

The farmhand smirked back at her, pleased with her answer. "Good answer. Now, let's get a move on, we haven't got all day." She replied as she turned around and started making her way presumably towards the nearby farmhouse.

The raptor harpy just jumped off the fence and started following the minotaur, now walking at her side where her co-workers were currently trapped. She looked down at them and saw that they were displeased with their current position, especially the blonde who currently had his head trapped between Blare's and Zombina's mammaries once more. "Told you guys this would end badly," Kes told them as she gave them a smug grin.

"Yeah, but what else can we do?" Yuuto replied as he tried to free his head from its fleshy prison. "Might as well see what we can do to resolve this."

"This totally isn't fair! I'm pretty sure this counts as kidnapping!" The zombie yelled in annoyance as she feebly tried to free herself from the minotaur's grasp.

"Well, we wouldn't be here if you hadn't blindly charged into us like that." Blare complained to the undead with a look of annoyance on her face.

"Hey, quiet it down, will you?" The minotaur told them in a stern tone.

The MON agents let out audible gulps, panicked by her seemingly threatening request. "…Yes, Ma'am…" They all replied in unison.

Whatever awaited them was just about anyone's guess right now.

* * *

The group eventually found themselves on the farm in question. The MON agents were then introduced to the farm's owner, Miyuki Nishiyama. Though despite being the farm's owner, Zombina had noted that he was quite the pretty boy. Yuuto had decided to be the one to explain the situation to him, albeit without mentioning the race they were having.

"…and that's how we ran into your friend," He paused for a moment as he looked towards the minotaur. "Cathyl was it?"

The busty woman was currently leaning against a nearby tree with a moody look on her face. "Yeah, that's right," Cathyl answered whilst chewing on a wheat stalk.

"Right." The blonde then returned his attention to Miyuki. "So that's what basically happened. I'm sorry for the trouble me and my group has caused."

The farm owner just grinned at the hybrid. "Don't worry too much about it, accidents happen. Though there is the matter of expenses for the damage to the fence."

"But that's the problem, we haven't got any cash on hand right now…"

"Hmm…" Miyuki mused to himself as he stroked his chin in thought. "Well, if you don't mind, would you mind helping us out on the farm for a couple of hours? We're a little short on hands right now, plus, it should more than cover the damage to the fence."

"Sure, I don't mind," Yuuto replied without giving it a second thought.

Blare, Kestria and Zombina, who were all standing next to him were surprised by his willingness to help out on the farm. "Beesh, you can't be serious!" The zombie exclaimed, not the least pleased with his decision.

"Yeah Stud, don't go deciding this all by yourself!" The hellhound complained as her flame lashes burst into life.

"And why am I getting dragged into it, Hotshot?! I didn't even do anything wrong!" The raptor harpy added as she gave him an angry stare.

The hybrid just sighed to himself as he gave the girls a look of annoyance. "Okay, let me put it this way. Either we help out on the farm for a couple of hours, or I can call Smith to bail us out of this situation, and I'm pretty sure we don't want to find out what she'll put us through for inconveniencing her like this."

Panicked looks soon crossed the faces of his co-workers. The last thing they wanted was to get on the wrong side of Kuroko. All they could imagine was a mountain of paperwork stacked on their desks when they'd eventually come back to work. Suddenly a couple of hours working on a farm didn't sound so bad.

"You know, I've always been curious about how a farm is run." The redhead lied through her teeth to avoid Smith's wrath.

"Yeah, working outside does sound kind of fun when you think about it," Blare added as she rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"I don't mind checking out on the cute farmyard animals while we're here" Kestria added with a fake smile on her face.

Yuuto smirked back at them before returning his attention to the farm's owner. "Well, you heard them, Nishiyama-san. We'd be happy to help."

"Great, you guys are doing me a huge favour!" Miyuki shouted excitedly. "The rest of the farmhands should be here soon, so they'll show you what needs doing."

"Hey, Boss!" The group heard the voices of a couple of young girls call out in unison and they turned to face where it came from.

Four liminals were making their way towards them, all of them wearing the same type of dungarees Cathyl was wearing. There was a pan with pale skin, shoulder-length white hair and bright blue eyes, as well as gnarled horns on either side of her head and sheep hooves in place of feet. There was also a tanned-skin satyr with short blonde hair and red mischievous eyes, as well as a pair of horns sticking from the top of her head that pointed backwards and goat hooves for feet. The two girls they heard earlier looked like twins, and were basically smaller versions of the satyr accompanying them, both with shoulder length blonde hair and emerald green eyes, as well as short horns on the sides of their heads and hooves in place of feet. The only noticeable difference between them was that one had a long fringe covering her left eye and her horns pointed upwards, while her sister had her fringe covering her right eye and her horns pointed downwards.

"Hey girls, great timing." The farm owner replied. "We've got ourselves some helping hands for a while, so be nice to them."

The pan was the first to speak up as they met up with the group and directed her attention towards the MON agents. "Oh, well it's good to meet you all." She started in a meek tone as she bowed to them. "My name is Merino; I hope we get along."

The satyr of the group was next to speak up as she smirked at them. "Hey there, I'm Saane. I don't normally work at this farm, but the guys here were begging for an 'extra hand' to help out." She said as her smirk pulled into a lewd grin.

Miyuki just smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "You'll have to forgive Saane, she really loves her inuendoes." In an attempt to steer the conversation back on track he decided to introduce the twins to the group. "The two vegetable lambs are Ton and Cott. Ton is the one with her horns pointing up, and Cott's horns point down if you have trouble remembering who is who."

"Sup," Ton said with a wave.

"Yo," Cott added as she mirrored her sister's pose.

Deciding to be polite, Yuuto took it upon himself to introduce himself, as well as his co-workers to the farm workers.

Once he was done, the satyr was the first to comment on the hybrid himself as she let out a short wolf whistle. "Damn, good job finding such a stud-muffin, Boss."

"Try and keep your hands to yourself, Saane." The human chided her. "I need you to show our newbies here the ropes of farm work."

"Of course, we'll do our best," Merino replied in a sweet tone.

"You can count on us!" The vegetable lambs added in unison.

Happy with his farmhands' response, he mulled over how to best utilise the extra help. "Now, let's see here… Okay, Cathyl. You go take Zombina over there and go get the fence fixed up, and check for any other parts of the perimeter that might need repairs." He said as he hooked a thumb towards the zombie.

The minotaur smirked to herself and a blush appeared on her cheeks before she started making her way towards the undead woman. "It'll be my pleasure." She answered before she made her way to her. As she reached the MON agent, she hooked the blade of the axe she was still holding under the back of the woman's shirt and lifted her off the ground with ease. "I heard you were the one responsible for this mess, seems fair that you'd be the one to help fix it." She said as she started walking off with the zombie in tow.

"HEY! PUT ME DOWN, TITS FOR BRAINS!" Zombina protested in vain before turning to the hybrid for help. "BEESH! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" She screamed as she flailed her arms and legs frantically.

"Sorry Zee, but you're on your own." The blonde replied without a hint of sympathy as he left her to her fate.

The redhead went on about something to do with betrayal as she disappeared from sight along with Cathyl.

"Okay, next up." The farm owner started as he looked towards the twins. "Ton, Cott. I believe Kestria said that she wanted to see the animals, so take her with you to the chicken coop and start collecting the eggs." He told them as he hooked a thumb towards the avian liminal.

"Sure thing!" They replied excitedly with a mock salute. They then went over to the raptor harpy and each grabbed a wing in their arms. "C'mon, we haven't got time to waste," Ton said in a bossy tone. "Yeah, time's a wasting," Cott added in a similar tone.

"Hey, cool it!" Kes protested as the vegetable lambs started dragging her away.

"Alright, two more," Miyuki muttered as he focused his attention towards the hellhound. "Blare, don't take this the wrong way, but do you mind helping me rustle up the sheep? Something tells me that you might be good at it."

Blare quirked an eyebrow at the human due to what he was insinuating. "I hope this isn't because I have canine features…" She replied in an annoyed tone.

The young man had to be careful about his choice of words. "Well, it'll give you an excuse to run around more if that helps."

The hellhound couldn't help but smirk at him. "Fine, you got me there." She answered as she moved to his side.

Happy with the outcome, he then turned his attention to the last MON agent. "Guess that leave you to help Merino and Saane shear the sheep, Kazama." He said with a wide grin.

Before the hybrid could protest, the satyr quickly moved to his side and pressed her breasts to the side of his chest. "Lucky you, Stud-muffin. You get to have me and little Meri all to yourself." She told him in a seductive tone as she prodded a finger against his chest."

Yuuto could only sigh to himself in disbelief. "I have a bad feeling about this." He complained to himself.

"Please pay her no mind, Kazama-san. I'll be here with you if you need any help." The pan said with a look of determination on her face.

"…Much appreciated, Merino…" He replied with a lack of enthusiasm.

"Good, everyone's got a job! Now, let's get to it!" Miyuki shouted excitedly.

"Try not to have too much fun, Stud." Blare teased her squad captain before she made her leave with the farm owner.

The hybrid just groaned to himself at being left alone with someone like Saane. Merino might've been with them, but he doubted that she could do anything to stop the satyr's antics. He knew there and then that this would probably be the longest two hours of his life.

* * *

Back where the MON agents had originally crashed through the fence, Cathyl was busying herself by hammering in a new wooden post with the butt of her axe with great ease. While she was doing that, Zombina was carrying a number of wooden planks over her shoulder and a bucket of nails with a small hammer in it in her other hand. She was already exhausted from their run earlier, and now she was being forced into manual labour because of a little accident. She grunted and breathed heavily as she hauled the planks and nails towards where the minotaur was currently working. Cathyl just looked back at the zombie and shook her head to herself in disbelief.

"Seriously, it's like you've never worked a day in your life." She said as she gave the redhead an annoyed look.

Zombina continued to pant heavily as she reached her destination and placed the planks and bucket onto the ground before she placed her hands on her thighs and took in several deep breaths. "Ya know… I couldn't actually tell ya… seeing I can't remember… a damn thing about… when I was still alive…" She complained in between deep breaths.

The minotaur's eyes widened in realisation, now regretting her choice of words. "Oh, I'm sorry. That was pretty insensitive of me to say…" She said in a remorseful tone.

The redhead just merely laughed at her response as she took a seat next to the fence and gave her a toothy grin. "Don't worry about it, I came to terms with it a long time ago. Being undead isn't actually that bad once you get used to it."

Cathyl just nodded in understanding. "Well, it's good to hear that you're okay with it." She replied before she picked up on of the planks and held it against the two poles it was to be fixed to. "Anyway, this fence isn't going to fix itself. I'll hold the planks while you nail them in."

The zombie groaned to herself for a moment before she picked up the hammer and a nail and got to work. For a few minutes, the pair kept themselves busy as the nailed in several planks of wood to the poles, though Zombina quickly got bored with this. She glanced over at Cathyl and remembered that she had blushed when the farm owner had talked to her. Maybe she was imagining it, but she had a feeling that something was going on between them, so in an attempt to alleviate her boredom she decided to have a little fun with the minotaur.

"Hey, Cathyl." She spoke up to get the farmhand's attention. "Is it just me, or is there something going on between you and Nishiyama?" She asked with a teasing grin on her face.

Cathyl's eyes shot wide open and her face went bright red at the zombie's accusation. "What?!" She exclaimed with an embarrassed look on her face. "No way! Like I'd go out with that thick-headed playboy!" She protested though it did little to help as her cheeks went a brighter shade of red.

Zombina's grin only grew wider at the minotaur's reaction. "I bet you let him milk you too."

"L-L-Like hell I'd let that beansprout touch my jugs!" The farmhand shouted as she only grew more embarrassed, which was accompanied by a gut-wrenching laugh from the zombie.

The redhead just knew that she'd have a ton of fun with this current situation.

* * *

Back on the field near the farmhouse, Miyuki was busy herding the sheep to get sheared, with a little help from Blare. The hellhound had found herself in the role of a sheepdog as she circled around the flock with directed help from the farm owner. She had to admit that she was actually having a lot of fun running around the sheep to try and get them into the holding pen Nishiyama wanted them to go into, it was almost like a game for her. With every move she made the flock would back away as they were guided towards their destination. Miyuki was impressed with how the MON agent was performing, he had to admit he felt slightly disappointed that she couldn't stay on full-time. Regardless they finally got the sheep into their designated pen to be held in as they waited to be sheared by Merino and her group. With that, the hellhound jumped over the fence and stood to the farm owner's side with a satisfied look on her face.

"Nice work, Blare," Miyuki said as he gave her a congratulatory smile. "you looked like you were enjoying yourself out there."

"Yeah, it was a good workout if I have to be honest." She replied with a big smile as her tail wagged frantically.

"Good to hear. Though I've been wondering, what do you do for a living usually? Do you work at a gym, or are you some sort of professional athlete?"

"Oh, nothing like that." She replied in a modest tone. "I just work as an anti-liminal task force agent for the ICEP's Monster Operations: Neutralisation unit."

Miyuki's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait a minute, you guys are MON agents?"

"Yeah, all four of us." The hellhound answered as she rubbed the back of her head. "In fact, Stud and Zombina are Squad Leaders on top of that."

"Well, I'll be damned. But hold up a second, isn't Kazama human? I thought only liminals could legally take down other liminals." He said with a look of confusion on his face.

"Normally that would be the case, but Stud is actually only half human. He's technically classified as a hybrid." Blare explained to him matter-of-factly.

This only raised more questions for the farm owner. "So, what's the other half?"

The MON agent merely smirked at him. "I'll let Stud explain it when you next see him."

The human just scratched at his head as he let the information sink in. "Well damn, you guys really are an interesting bunch." After a moment he brought himself back to reality and turned to face the hellhound once more. "Anyway, now that the sheep have been corralled, we can go and deal with the cows. They'll need milking today."

Blare quirked an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure that's alright?" She asked as she raised her padded hands. "My hands aren't exactly delicate, as you can see."

Miyuki just chuckled to himself. "I wouldn't worry, we use machines for the cows, far quicker that way. Though the sheep are another story, I'm sure Merino, Saane and Kazama will be just fine."

"Yeah, I'm sure Stud can handle himself." She replied as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. _"I'm more worried about what that satyr girl has planned for him…"_ She thought to herself as the pair went to milk the cows.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the chicken coops, Kestria was busy helping the twins with collecting eggs from the henhouse. All the hens were clucking to their heart's content as the raptor harpy busied herself with gathering the eggs from the unoccupied nests, though she wasn't exactly happy about being here.

" _This is totally unfair! I didn't even do anything wrong, and I'm being forced into manual labour because a certain zombie can't control herself!"_ She thought as she pouted to herself.

Just then, one of the roosting hens gave her a long-agitated cluck.

Kestria looked back at the hen in question and gave it a look of annoyance. "Well cluck-cluck to you too, Madam. I don't want to be here as much as you don't want me here."

With that little spat out of the way, she picked up a small stack of egg trays filled to the brim with eggs with her wings and made her way out of the henhouse. As she stepped out into the coop itself, she saw that Ton and Cott were stacking other egg trays onto a small trailer attached to the back of a quad-bike. The vegetable lambs saw her and waved at her in unison to get her attention.

"Hey, Kes. Just leave the egg trays over here." Ton said with a massive grin.

"Yeah, we'll stack them up while you collect the last bunch of eggs from the henhouse to the far right," Cott added with an equally wide grin.

The MON agent sighed to herself in resignation. "Fine, just let me drop these off first…" She replied dejectedly.

As she started making her way towards them once more, she heard a high-pitched chirp from behind her. She glanced down to see a little yellow chick looking up at her with its beady little eyes.

"Well, aren't you a little cutie," Kes said to it with a warm smile on her face.

The little chick chirped back at her as it jumped around in excitement.

"Well, as much as I'd like to fawn over you, I've got work to get on with. See you later."

As she turned around and started to make her way towards the twins once more, she heard several more chirps from behind her. She looked back and now saw a small group of around ten chicks looking up at her.

"Hey, I know I have feathers and all, but I'm not one of you guys. Go and play with your moms or something." She said to the group of chicks.

They all just chirped happily at the raptor harpy as they bounced up and down excitedly.

"Look, I'm sorry but I have work to do." She said despondently as she made her way out of the coop.

Kestria made her way to the trailer without too much trouble and placed her stack of egg trays next to the others by the trailer, much to the delight of the vegetable lambs. "Nice job, Kes," Ton said enthusiastically.

"And you managed to make a few friends too," Cott added with a smirk on her face.

Kestria looked down and behind her once again to find the group of chicks from before still on her heels. She didn't really mind all that much, though she was confused as to why they were even following her. "Why are you little ones even following me around? Am I that interesting to you?" She said to them with a quizzical look on her face as she crouched down and wrapped her wings around her legs.

The chicks began to chirp happily again as they moved closer and started nuzzling against her legs and feet. One even managed to hop onto the top of her knee and flapped its tiny wings happily at her.

The raptor harpy's cheeks went red as her heart melted at the adorable sight. "Aww, that is so cute." She cooed as she dipped her head to get closer to the chick, who responded by nuzzling up against her nose. "Seriously, I'm almost tempted to take you guys home with me." She added with a loving smile on her face.

"Wow, those little chicks have gotten really attached to you, Kes." Ton commented with a sense of wonder.

"Well, you won't be able to do much with them clambering around you like that," Cott added. "The best thing you can do now is to keep an eye on them, like a chick sitter or something like that."

"Is that so?" She replied as a smirk crossed her lips, happy to hear that she had an excuse to exempt herself from manual labour. "Well, I guess I'll have to play mother hen for a little while." She added as she slowly stood herself up, giving the chicks enough time to back away from her. "You hear that, kids? You're going to be members of the Poultry Patrol for the day."

The chicks started to bounce up and down excitedly once more while letting out happy chirps.

"Alright cadets, line up!"

With unexpected coordination, the chicks lined up behind her in single file, all waiting for the raptor harpy to take the lead.

With a nod of confirmation, Kestria raised a wing with a wide smile on her face. "Poultry Patrol, move out!" With that, the raptor harpy set out to explore the farm with the group of chicks now following her in single file.

The vegetable lambs just smirked at each other as the group left. "At least it'll keep the chicks out of the way while we work," Ton said to her sister.

"And Kes too. She was kind of slowing us down anyway." Cott replied. "Hopefully they won't cause too much trouble for everyone else."

With that the twins got back to work, unaware of the trouble the feathered friends were about to cause.

* * *

Inside one of the large steel sheds, Merino, Saana and Yuuto were busy shearing the flock of sheep Miyuki and Blare had corralled for them earlier. It was a simple enough job and the hybrid found that he had a knack for it. The pan and satyr were surprised by how calm the sheep were around him.

"There you go." The MON agent muttered to himself as he finished shearing the wool of the last sheep that was assigned to him.

Merino looked to him and was impressed by the job he did. "That's really impressive, Kazama-san. Are you sure this is the first time you've sheared sheep?" She asked with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"I'm pretty sure, not really one for the country lifestyle myself if I have to be honest."

"Well, that's a shame. If you were going to stick around, I would've made it worth your while." Saane interjected in a sultry tone as she gave him a seductive look.

Yuuto sighed to himself at the satyr's continued advances. "For the last time, I already have a girlfriend, and I'm not interested in having anyone on the side either." He replied to her in an annoyed tone.

The satyr just smirked back at him. "Are you sure? You'll never know unless you try."

The hybrid just groaned to himself at her response. He just wanted to get this farm work over and done with so he could get away from her.

Merino and Saane finished shearing their sheep in quick order before the pan stretched her arms up to loosen her muscles. "I think that's it for the shearing, all we need to do now is milk them."

"Sure thing, I'll go get some buckets for us," Saane replied as she walked up to her and whispered into her ear. "But you forgot one thing though, there's still one more person that needs shearing." She said in a suggestive tone.

The pan's cheeks turned crimson at her comment. "S-S-S-Saane, a-a-are you sure I should ask him?" She asked in a meek tone.

"I don't see the problem," She replied with a devious look on her face before she instantly replaced it with an innocent look and started making her way out of the shed. "anyway, I'll be back in a bit!" She added with a wave.

Merino tried to stop her, but the satyr was already out of sight before she could do anything. It was just her and the MON agent now. She sighed to herself before she looked over to where Yuuto was seated. She had to admit that he seemed quite dependable and that he did a good job at sheering the sheep, not to mention that she thought he was quite handsome. She suddenly thought about him caressing her skin in an intimate fashion as he would shear her skin bare. The thought was certainly steamy and she instantly got embarrassed as she literally tried to shake the image out of her head.

The hybrid noticed this and gave her a quizzical look. "Hey, Merino. Are you alright?" He asked in a concerned tone.

The pan took a deep breath and composed herself as she stood up and faced him. "K-Kazama-san, I-I-I was wondering if I could ask a favour of you…" She asked in an embarrassed tone, unable to look directly at him as she fidgeted and squirmed in place just thinking about what she wanted of him.

He gave her a friendly smile to help put her at ease. "Sure, I agreed to help you out, so there's no need to be shy about it."

Merino smiled to herself at his response and looked him in the eyes. "Well… I was wondering… seeing as you did such a good job shearing the sheep… I wanted to ask if you could shear me too…"

Yuuto quirked an eyebrow at her. "I beg your pardon?" He asked out of confusion.

The pan thought it would be easier to show him, rather than explain to him what she meant. With some trepidation she removed the braces from around her shoulders, letting her dungarees drop to the ground to reveal her naked form, only obscured by the thick woollen fur that covered most of her body. The hybrid was shocked by her sudden decision and shot to his feet as his whole face went red with embarrassment.

"Woah, just hold on a second!" He exclaimed as he held up his hands in front of him. "Why are you asking me and not one of your friends?!"

"Well, I can't ask Nishiyama or Cathyl seeing that they're dating, I'd feel bad about asking Ton and Cott seeing they have the same problem as I do with getting woolly, and as for Saane… well, let's just say I think she'd enjoy it a little too much…."

"…Yet you're fine with a complete stranger doing it?"

She quickly moved towards him until she was in his personal space. "Please, Kazama-san! I can't ask anyone else!" She exclaimed with a pleading look on her face.

The sudden invasion of his personal space caused him to move back a couple of steps, which led to him hitting the edge of a nearby table. He looked behind him to see a pair of sickles just lying there on the table. He suddenly got an idea as he looked back at the pan in front of him with a serious look on his face.

"Merino, I need you to stand still where you are and close your eyes for me." He said in a commanding tone as if he was giving an order to one of his squad mates.

Merino was surprised by the sudden request but she nodded and complied with it, slightly widening her stance as she shut her eyelids tight. "A-A-Alright, but I think it might be easier if I lay down on the table." She said as she started to get nervous about the whole thing.

The hybrid nodded to himself before he turned around and picked up a sickle in each hand. "Good, now hold still and don't move a muscle." With that, he triggered his devil mode, the sound of the chaotic energy sparking around him causing the pan and the flock of sheep to flinch momentarily.

The farmhand started to get really worried by the sudden new sound. "K-K-Kazama-san, what was that?" She asked as her voice became shaky. "M-M-M-Maybe we should-"

She was cut off as the MON agent rushed towards her in a flash of crimson, surging past her as clumps of wool freshly shaven from her skin flew off her in an instant. Yuuto stopped several feet behind her in a low stance with his arms spread wide with the sickles still in hand and a smirk on his face, while the pan stood there in shock, now feeling a weird tingling sensation on her skin. The flock of sheep stared in amazement at just what happened. If they were able to, they probably would've given the hybrid a standing ovation.

Yuuto stood up straight and twirled the sickles in his hand momentarily before he looked back at the pan with a smirk on his face. "There, that should do it." He said in a confident tone, his voice now reverberating with the chaotic energy.

Merino looked herself over in surprise, noting that she had been shaved bald from her shoulders down, apart from around her nether region. "Wow, that was amazing…" She replied, now feeling slightly wobbly after the experience. "But how did you-?"

"Devil powers." The hybrid interjected. "I'm technically part elder devil, so I can do stuff like that." He added as he started to make his way back to the table.

As he walked past, the farmhand couldn't help but smile to herself as her cheeks went bright red. She then realised that she was still standing there naked in front of the MON agent, and in a fit of embarrassment, she quickly made her way back to where her dungarees were and slipped them back on. "Th-Thank you for doing that for me, Kazama-san." She said to him as a smile crept onto her lips once more.

Yuuto returned to his base form and placed the sickles back on the table before he turned around and gave her a cheesy grin. "No problem, though I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask me to do stuff like that in future." He said as he glanced away from her, his face turning bright red once more.

"Oh, of course." The pan replied as she snapped herself back to reality and recomposed herself. "I'm sorry about making such a bold request." She added as she squirmed in place once more.

"Don't worry about it, let's just forget that it ever happened." The MON agent said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Just as they finished their conversation, Saane came back with several metal buckets in each hand. "Hey, I hope I didn't miss anything while I was gone." She said in a suggestive tone.

The pan flinched at her sudden arrival. "S-S-Saane, we were just organising the wool, that's all." She replied in a meek tone.

The satyr looked around and was fairly sure that the wool had not been touched in her absence, though she did take note of the fact that her workmate was slightly less woolly than she was earlier. "Is that so?" She asked with a devious look on her face. "Well, that is a shame. I was hoping I would walk in on something juicy." She added before licking her lips, hoping the pan would spill the beans on her latest shearing.

"I-I-I assure you that nothing happened while you were gone." Merino protested.

Saane let out a sigh of defeat, disappointed that she wasn't able to coax an answer from her. "Alright, have it your way then." She replied with a hint of disappointment. "Well, in any case, we should get started on getting these girls milked." She placed most of the buckets on the ground, leaving one in her hand as she made her way to where the MON agent had been seated earlier. "Stud-muffin, get your butt over here so I can show you how best to milk these sheep." She said to him in a sultry tone.

Yuuto let out an exasperated sigh as he made his way to his stool and took his seat. "Alright, but don't try anything funny." He said to her in an annoyed tone.

Before he realised it, the satyr took a seat in front of him, right between his legs. She then looked back at him and gave him a smirk as her cheeks went red.

The hybrid's cheeks also went bright red at the sudden act as he furrowed his eyebrows at her. "What do you think you're playing at?"

She made herself comfortable as she rubbed her posterior against his crotch. "I'm worried that you might be a little rough seeing you haven't milked sheep before." With that she put the bucket down before she unstrapped the braces of her dungarees and let them drop to her sides, now freeing her bare breasts from their confines. "So, I figured it'd be best if you practised on me. Don't worry though, I like it a little rough." She answered in a seductive manner as she gave him a wink.

"…Yeah, I'm going to have to say hell the fuck no to that idea…"

Before the MON agent could protest any further, Saane grabbed a hold of his wrists and started pulling his hands towards her generously sized mammaries. "Don't be such a prude, Stud-muffin. I promise that we'll both enjoy the experience."

Yuuto started to pull his hands away in protest. "As I said before, I already have a girlfriend." He said as his tone became irate.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her." She replied with a devious look on her face as she tried to pull his hands back towards her breasts.

Merino was flabbergasted by what her workmate was trying to do. The satyr may have been rather forward with her sexual desires, but this was a whole new level of perverseness, even for her. "Saane, what do you think you're doing?! Don't you think you're taking this a little too far?!" She yelled in embarrassment.

"Hey, it's not my fault you couldn't convince the guy to fondle you, so don't go trying to ruin my fun out of spite," Saane replied as she continued to struggle against the hybrid's protests.

"Well, I didn't consent to this!" Yuuto yelled in annoyance.

"Quit being so stubborn already! It's just a little bit of fun!"

"I could say the say about you!"

Whilst they were in the middle of their strange game of tug-of-war, they heard a chirp coming from the entrance to the shed. The trio stopped what they were doing and looked towards the entrance to find a couple of chicks scurrying around. They also noticed that Kestria was leaning around the corner with her phone out, the camera pointing at them.

The raptor harpy looked down at the chicks with a panicked look on her face. "Keep it down, Kids. You'll give away our position."

"Kes, what the hell are you doing?" The hybrid asked as his whole face went bright red.

Kestria flinched upon hearing him, now realising that her cover was blown. She then recomposed herself and smirked at her squad captain. "I could ask you the same, though I think Grim might have a few things to say about what I just filmed." She replied as she waved her phone from side to side for emphasis.

"…You wouldn't dare…" He said to her in a threatening tone.

His squadmate panicked again and quickly made her leave, along with the two chicks that had snuck inside with her. "Poultry Patrol! Tactical retreat!" She yelled at the top of her lungs for some strange reason.

"Oh, no you don't!" He exclaimed as he tried to get up, but he was prevented from doing so by the satyr still holding on to him.

"Not so fast, I'm not done with you yet." She said to him in a suggestive tone.

Yuuto let out another exasperated sigh as he furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Yeah, I'm sorry about this."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "About what?"

Just then he triggered his devil mode once more and gave the satyr a mild shock with his chaotic energy. After a moment Saane fell forwards and landed face first on the floor with her buttocks stuck up in the air.

The MON agent jumped up and looked towards Merino. "Don't worry, I just paralyzed her, she'll be fine in a few minutes." Without waiting for a response, he rushed towards the entrance in a flash of crimson and made his leave. "Kes, get your poultry ass back here!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

With the hybrid gone, Merino crouched down next to her workmate and gave her a disapproving look. "Normally I'd feel sorry for you, but in this case, you pretty much asked for it."

Saane just laid there as she tried to make sense of what just happened. "Heh, I knew there was a spark between us." She replied in a seemingly delirious state.

The pan just sighed to herself in disbelief. "You never learn, do you?"

* * *

Back outside, Blare was sat outside leaning against a wooden post as she took several gulps of water from one of the bottles the MON agents brought with them. She was relaxing after finishing her chores with Nishiyama, and she was just waiting for the other MON agents to finish their jobs. Suddenly she heard heavy panting from nearby and looked to her side to see Zombina slowly making her way to the hellhound as if ready to collapse. Thankfully the zombie made it to her and slumped down against the fence next to her.

"Looks like you had fun." Blare teased as she pulled a fresh bottle of water from the bag Yuuto had been carrying previously and handed it over to the redhead.

Zombina wasted no time as she snatched to bottle and nearly ripped it apart in her attempt to open it before she downed the whole thing. "Yeah, if ya call being bossed around by a goddamn slave driver fun." She complained as she continued to take deep breaths to recuperate herself.

"Well, you shouldn't have knocked us down and broke the fence then." The hellhound replied with a smirk on her face.

"Hey, I'm a victim of circumstance here ya know. Anyway, do ya know where Beesh and Kes are at?"

"Hmm, last time I checked Kes was with the twins near the chicken coops. As for Stud, God knows where he is right now." She answered as she thought to herself where he possibly could've disappeared to.

Just then they heard the stomping of feet from the same direction Zombina had just come from, and they saw Kestria running towards their general direction in a panicked state with a flock of chicks on her heels. Not far behind, Yuuto was chasing after her in his devil mode with an angry look on his face.

"Take a chill pill, Hotshot! I haven't done anything wrong!" She exclaimed as she ran past them as fast as she could.

"Slow down, Kes! I just want to talk!" The hybrid shouted back in a threatening tone as he was closing in on her, also running past the zombie and hellhound pair without acknowledging them.

As they disappeared around the corner of one of the barns, they looked on in confusion at what they just witnessed. "Zombina, you saw that too, right?" The hellhound asked with a quizzical look on her face.

The redhead suddenly burst into laughter at what she saw. "Expect Beesh of all people to keep things interesting around here!" She exclaimed as she held her sides tightly.

"Shouldn't we go stop them? They might break something at this rate." Blare said in a worried tone.

"Nah, I'm sure they'll be fine. Besides, I'm too tired to do anything right now." Zombina answered as she calmed herself down.

The hellhound took a moment to sigh to herself. "For once, I'll have to agree with you."

As Kestria was running for dear life, the chicks continued to follow her as they gave her distressed chirps. She looked over her shoulder to look down at them and gave them a confident smirk. "Don't worry, Kids. I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you."

The chicks chirped happily at her as they kept up their pace.

She then looked behind her to see her squad captain still chasing after them with a determined look on his face. The raptor swore that the chaotic energy around him had intensified since she last checked, this wasn't a good situation for her at all. Suddenly the chicks started letting out panicked chirps at her.

"What's the matter, Kids?" She asked as she looked down at them.

She then looked up again and found that she was running towards a barn entrance with a line of fences running forwards from either side. The raptor harpy skid to a halt before reaching the entrance. Unfortunately for her, the barn doors were locked, so they couldn't hide in there. The fencing at either side of the group meant that they could only come back the way they came, and unfortunately for her, Yuuto had blocked the only escape route. Under normal circumstances, she could've just flown away, but she couldn't bear to abandon the chicks after they became so attached to her.

They were trapped.

Kestria turned around to see her squad captain blocking their only way out, breathing heavily as he gave her a piercing gaze. "Just give up the phone, Kes. No one needs to get shocked if I can avoid it." The hybrid said as he tried to keep his cool.

To her surprise the chicks moved in front of her and formed a wall between their mother figure and the man blocking their escape, all of them jumping up and down as they gave him defiant chirps.

The raptor harpy couldn't help but smirk at him, now feeling like she had the upper wing in this situation. "You're welcome to try, Hotshot. But I doubt you're willing to harm the kids just to get at me." She replied in a smug tone.

Yuuto looked down at the chicks in front of her and saw them huddled together, shaking in fear. He felt guilty as hell for scaring them as he did and he returned to his base form before letting out a sigh of defeat. "Damn it, using emotional blackmail like that is so unfair." He complained out loud.

Kestria gave him a triumphant grin as she placed her wings on her hips. "All's fair in love and war. I can't even begin to imagine the look on Grim's face when I send her this video of you and the farmhands."

"Kes, I'm begging you, please don't send it to her. I'll do anything." The hybrid pleaded.

"Anything, huh?" She responded as she quirked an eyebrow at him. "Well, I suppose you paying for my meals for a week might just about cover it." She said with a devious smirk on her lips.

"DINNER'S READY!"

They suddenly heard Ton and Cott yelling in the distance and they turned to face where it came from. This grabbed the attention of the chicks in particular and after a moment the small group scurried off towards where the shouting came from as fast as their little legs could take them, all chirping happily as they did so. This, unfortunately, left their mother figure defenceless.

"Hey, don't abandon me like this!" She shouted at them in distress. "I thought we were a team!"

Before she could protest any further, Yuuto rushed towards her in a blur of crimson and snatched her phone from behind. She spun around on her heel and saw her squad captain with her phone in his hands, busily tapping away at the screen as he went about trying to find the video file.

"Hey, that's mine!" She shouted as she flew at him and tried to snatch her phone back with her talons, but the blonde merely dodged to the side effortlessly to avoid her. She skidded to a halt and attempted to launch herself at him once more. "Give it back!" She shouted as she thrust a talon at him once more.

The hybrid merely spun on his heel to avoid her strike and as she flew past him, he gave her a quick pat on the back, which immediately shocked her with chaotic energy. Now paralyzed the raptor harpy fell to the ground face first, now unable to move. Now free to do as he wished, Yuuto found the video and promptly deleted it, also making sure that there wasn't a back-up of it anywhere and happy to find that his squad mate didn't have chance to send it to Lala.

Satisfied he returned to his base form and placed the phone in front of Kestria. "Nice talk, Kes." He said with a smirk on his face as he walked off, holding his hands behind his head. "Anyway, I should head back and help out Merino with the sheep. I'll see you in a bit."

Unable to do anything else, Kestria looked up and gave him a peeved look as he left. She wasn't left alone long as the chicks finally came scurrying back to her, presumably done with eating their grub as they chirped happily at seeing her again, now standing around her once more.

"Oh, now you guys come to my aid." She said in an annoyed tone.

The little chicks all nuzzled up against her as if apologizing for leaving her.

The raptor harpy couldn't help but smile to herself as she nuzzled them back. "Damn it, I can't stay mad at you when you're this cute."

* * *

Sometime later, all the MON agents had gathered together as they were all finished with their chores. The group were sat under the shade of a nearby tree to recuperate, along with the group of chicks who had grown attached to Kestria who were either scurrying around her or perched on her lap.

"Kes, I've been meaning to ask," Blare spoke up. "what's with all the chicks?"

"Oh, they think I'm their mom and they decided to follow me around. It's kind of cute if I have to be honest." The raptor harpy replied as she stroked one of the chicks with the digit of one of her wings.

"Can't say I'm surprised; you do seem to have the qualities of a large chicken." Yuuto teased with a smirk on his face.

Kestria elbowed him in the shoulder and gave him a look of annoyance. "I'm still not talking to you after what happened earlier." She told him in an irate tone.

"Like how you're talking to me now?" He asked as he gave her a smug look.

She merely looked away and pouted to herself, preferring to pay attention to the chicks scurrying around her.

"Geez, how much longer is Nishiyama gonna be? I'm starving here." Zombina complained out loud, much to the annoyance of the others.

"He said he was going to get something for us for helping him out today, so we might as well hold on tight for the time being." The hybrid told her. "Honestly, I'd like to head off as soon as possible as well, I'm worried that Saane might try something else if we don't leave soon."

"Yeah, turns out that satyr girl was trying pretty hard to make a move on Hotshot," Kestria told the other girls with a smirk on her lips.

The redhead let out a gut-wrenching laugh at that comment. "No matter what we do, Beesh, you always seem to draw women to you!" She exclaimed with a toothy grin.

The hellhound let out an exasperated sigh. "Can't say I'm even surprised anymore at this point."

"…It's not like I ask for the attention…" The blonde said in an embarrassed tone as his face went bright red.

Just then Miyuki came driving up the main dirt path through the farm in his blue pick-up truck with Cathyl sat in the back, holding a carrier bag in one of her hands. The truck came to a halt in front of them and the pair got out before making their way towards the MON agents.

"Good job today, everyone. I really appreciate all of your help." The farm owner said to them with a wide grin on his face.

"It's no problem," Yuuto replied as he and his co-workers stood to their feet. "just happy to help."

"Easy for you to say…" Zombina grumbled to herself.

"Anyway," Miyuki spoke up once more. "to thank you for your hard work, here's some fresh cheeses straight from our own cows." He said as he hooked a thumb at the bag Cathyl was carrying.

The minotaur furrowed her eyebrow at her host. "You do remember they're only here because they broke one of our fences, right?"

The human rubbed the back of his neck as he looked up at her. "Even so, the work they've done has more than made up for the cost of repairs, so it's only fair to give them something for their hard work."

Cathyl gave him a huff at his response. "Can't say I agree, but fine, whatever you want." She then looked towards the MON agents and held out the bag full of cheeses towards them. "Here, before I change my mind."

The hybrid of the group stepped forward and took the bag from her with a polite smile on his face. "Thanks, and sorry for the bother we caused earlier."

"When you guys broke the fence, or when you were chasing the harpy around the farm causing a ruckus?" She asked in an irate tone.

He stepped back and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "…Yeah, sorry about that too. But anyway, we should make a move soon, I don't want to impose on you any longer than we already have."

"Don't worry about it, I'm happy for the help," Miyuki replied as he gave him a thumbs-up. "Anyway, take care on your way back, and it was nice to meet you all."

"Likewise. See you soon." He said as he and the MON agents started to make their leave.

Just as they were about to head off, the group of chicks started to follow the raptor harpy, chirping at her.

Kestria stopped and looked down at the chicks with a sad smile curling onto her lips. "I'm sorry kids, but I've got to go home now, and I can't take you guys with me."

The chicks jumped up and down as they let out distressed chirps at her.

The raptor harpy's eyes started to water up as she felt guilty for abandoning her little flock. She then looked towards her squad captain and gave him a pleading look. "Hey, Hotshot. Do you mind if I have a minute with them?"

Yuuto looked back at her and gave her a warm smile. "Sure, but don't take too long."

She nodded in response before she knelt down and spread her wings wide as she returned her focus to the chicks. "Come here, you guys!" She exclaimed as she started to cry.

The chicks scurried towards her with happy chirps before jumping into her wings and nuzzling up against her.

Kestria nuzzled them back as they sat there in her crossed wings. "You little ones take care of yourselves! I'm really going to miss you!" She said as floods of tears came streaming down her cheeks. After a moment the raptor harpy eventually placed them back on the ground and stood to her talons before she made her leave and waved a wing at them. "Bye, kids! Be sure to grow up big and strong!"

The chicks jumped up and down as they chirped at her happily once more. Miyuki and Cathyl were also waving them off with smiles on their faces. "Goodbye for now!" The human exclaimed.

"And make sure you stay out of trouble, you hear?!" Cathyl added with a teasing grin.

The MON agents waved back at them as they made their leave. Now out of their sight, Kestria started weeping to herself as she dried her eyes with one of her wings. The hybrid couldn't help but place a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Kes, I'm sure the chicks are going to be just fine." He told her with a warm smile on his face.

Kestria recomposed herself as she looked back at him with a sad smile. "I know, but still…"

"Damn, talk about a tiring day though, and it's not even lunchtime yet," Zombina complained to herself as she held her arms behind her head with a grumpy look on her face.

"Well, at least we got some free cheese out of it," Blare added as she looked at the carrier back her squad captain was holding. "But speaking of freebies," She continued in a sly tone as she bumped shoulders with the hybrid. "I heard from Kes that you got a fair bit of attention from that satyr girl and pan girl earlier, Stud." She said to him in a suggestive tone.

The raptor harpy perked up and bumped his shoulder from the other side as she joined in on teasing him. "You're telling me, Saane was going for him with everything she had." She added with a teasing grin.

Yuuto let out an exasperated sigh. "…Yeah, don't remind me…" In an attempt to improve his mood, he stepped away from his squad mates and triggered his devil mode once more. "Anyway, I just want to get back before Lala starts to worry about me." He said to them before he started to sprint off back towards the inn.

"Oh, no you don't, Stud!" The hellhound shouted as she sprinted off after him. "I want more details on what happened with you and that satyr girl!"

"Hey!" The zombie exclaimed as she chased after them. "Slow down, ya two! How aren't ya guys exhausted yet?!"

Kestria just sighed to herself at being left along before a smirk crossed her lips. "They never learn, do they?" She muttered out loud before she took off into the sky and flew after them.

Despite all the running they did, nothing quite gets the blood flowing like a hard day's work.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, it's felt like forever since I wrote the last chapter. Anyway, sorry for the delay, this ended up being longer than I initially anticipated, though I'm happy with how this chapter has turned out. Next chapter will be taking place at the shrine Ils Nineta works at, so expect some shenanigans there.**

 **As always feel free to drop a follow or favourite if you like the story so far, and I'm open to critique through reviews and suggestions for the story.**

 **Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you next time!**


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